Seeing the invisible
by glee-finchel-4ever
Summary: "Oh, God. Their screams will haunt me."   Friendship between Quinn, Mercedes and Rachel. Involves kidnap.
1. seeing the invisible

Summary- "Oh God. Their screams will haunt me."

Person- Rachel

Category- Horror/ tragedy

Rating-T

"That was perfect!" Mr Schue exclaimed as they (the Glee club) finished what was gong to be the perfect number for sectionals when they came around to it next year.

"That was so much fun," exclaimed Mile, with nods of agreement from the rest of the kids. They were n the mood for winning and perfecting, and trying out more complex, yet fun routines is just part of that. They had just finished the jazz song "Pencil full of lead" by Paolo Nutini. It was tongue twister for most of the group.

Rachel was sat solemnly at the back with a look of anger of her normally perfectly sculpted face. She'd seen Shelby in town, where she was clothes shopping, looking remarkably happy holding a baby. One she remembers: t was Quinn's baby. When she came back to school she told Quinn after he herded into the toilets where by chance, Mercedes was and she heard everything.

Even though both Quinn and Mercedes disliked Rachel, they felt bad for her. They took her shopping after Mercedes (the only one who had come to school in a car) dropped everyone off so they could ditch their school bags off at home and grab some money.

-glee-

"Everyone, take a well deserved break over the weekend and I'll see you Monday. Also, Finn, do you Spanish homework. Please! You are dismissed," Mr Schue called over the chuckles that are directed at Finn, who blushed slightly in embarrassment at the homework comment

-glee-

_Rachel's P.O.V_

I was walking in the parking lot with Mercedes and Quinn who we're chatting.

"we are so buying new wardrobes for each of us. All mine are too baggy now and the new summer lines have come out!" Quinn exclaimed in glee.

"oh! That's great! I need new hats and shirts, I may even buy a dress..." Mercedes carried on rambling at all te things she wanted with me and Quinn giggling at some of the things she was saying.

"what you going to buy?" Quinn asked me n a slightly curious fashion. I knew she was only doing this out of guilt and had roped Mercedes into helping. I'm only grateful that I can call them my friends even if its for this shopping trip. They would be the only ones I have ever had.

"Anything that captures my eye. "I said as I climbed into the back of Mercedes car.

* * *

-Time skip-

We finally reached my house after stopping at Mercedes and Quinn's spectacular houses, to which I were quite jealous of.

One of my dad's cars were parked at the side with a sleek looking Mustang in the other parking lot.

"Looks like dad had business over," I muttered to them both, noticing their mouths hanging slightly open as they glanced in the windows.

"What the hell does you dad do?" they said in unison.

As I opened my mouth to speak, I noticed that they had already got out of the car. I followed them to my door, wondering why they were giggling to each other. I put my finger to my lips, not wanting to disturb my dad if he _did_ have business around. We quietly entered, but before I could even close the door, a loud bang echoed from the living room.

"I won't say it again! Where's my company's information?" an unfamiliar voice shouted, becoming louder with each word.

I began shaking, sprinting to the living room door, where there was a small crack that I managed to see through. Giving out a tiny gasp, I placed my hand in front of my mouth as I watched the man holding my dad, who was struggling like mad by two buff men, blood pouring from the gashes on his face.

Shakily, I felt myself back away from the door, like it was plagued, tears streaming down my face. Quinn and Mercedes noticed my distress, though they themselves appeared pretty scared, and rushed over so they too could look at the scene just happening a few metres away from us, gasping at the sight.

They came to my side to comfort me.

"Kill him!" that unknown voice said. The door flung open, and the two men came out. We instantly tried to run and escape, but the other two men had immediately grabbed us, dragged us by our hair into the living room. We screamed, and kicked the air in an attempt to break free, though it didn't seem to phase them at all. We were held down as the two guys bound our wrists and ankles together, and then used one rope to hold us all as one.

"Make them watch!" The voice sneered. "Ones bound to be this scum bag's family, "He walked behind us and held our heads so they faced my dad who was struggling.

The world's most muscular man stood behind my dad. He flexed his muscles, waited and waited before cracking his neck and muscles.

In slow motion, he wrapped his hands around my dad's neck, and applied pressure, choking him. I was screaming to the men, begging them to stop. Mercedes and Quinn had been reduced to tears, whereas I was absolutely hysterical about what I was seeing. The sick fucker behind me was laughing as my beloved father's face turned more blue with each second, and then finally reaching purple.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head. His body slumped forward, making me scream even louder than I already were.

"Wake up! Wake up!" I yelled, sounding like a children as I screeched the words towards my dad's body when it was thrown on the floor by his captives.

"Clean up. Leave no evidence. Bring these sluts with us. They've seen too much," one man huffed each order angrily. I had managed to quieten my screaming, and now whimpered to myself. He looked out of the window, obviously noticing Mercedes' car," Bring the car with us."

After some time, which I didn't even notice pass, I heard Quinn and Mercedes shout to be let go of, though their resisting was silenced by something muffling their voices and the mumblings were reduced to nothing. One of th men put a piece of tape on my mouth before picking me up in a fireman's lift. I couldn't even find the energy to fight back and lifelessly hung from his grip. Again, I caught a glimpse of my dad's dead body, feeling a horrible sinking in my stomach.

- glee -

_3rd Person_

The three men carried the girls and Mr Berry to the blue mustang, where each was roughly placed. The cramped conditions gave those of a slave ship a run for their money.

Their leader slowly closed the door to the house, after checking that there was nothing left which could possibly be led to then. He got in his car, the one where they were carrying Mr Berry, and drove behind the second, heading to the one place where he knew they would never get caught.


	2. Realisations

**Ahh. It was fun writing in Figgin's P.O.V. He's one of my favourite characters, as well as my friends :) **

**Bring on the next chapter!**

* * *

_Figgins' P.O.V_

"Oh, hello," I said as the camera stopped rolling to the introduction to McKinley High. That had another hour of good things to show to freshman's when they come. As the phone rang, I placed it to my ear.

"Principal Figgins here," I spoke into it.

"Where is Mercedes and Quinn?" An angry voice called down the phone," Is glee club still on?"

"Who is this calling?" I tried to stall her while I thought whether it was on or not, tapping along as Shakira's 'Hips don't lie' came on the radio.

"Mrs Jones. Where are they?" There was a hint of worry in her voice.

"Mr Schuester must have kept glee on for a little longer. I'm sure they'll be home soon, and if you have any more concern, please call me again."

Once I managed to persuade her that they were fine, she hung up, humming along with the end of the song. I began dancing too, eyes closed as I made my way across the office.

"What in God's name are you doing?" I knew that voice.

"Oh, I uh-Such, what are you doing here?" I questioned her.

She took a sip of her protein shake, " Well, I was just walking down the hall, drinking my shake whilst minding my own business when I noticed you making a complete fool of yourself and then I felt compelled to come in here and inform you of that.

"Well, I, urm. It doesn't matter. Did you see whether glee club is still on?" I tried to hide my embarrassment at being caught dancing.

"Why should I tell you?" she said defiantly," And no. Do you know how hard it is to see his optimistic face and not puke?" Sue exclaimed, before turning calmly around and marching away from my office.

I shook my head as she left my sight.

- Next day -

I said good morning to my receptionist, taking a seat at my desk, and leaning back in it happily.

"Another great day," I said dreamily, a huge smile on my face. My tranquillity was blown by the door bursting opened, three angry looking parents storming into my office. The first, a small and weedy man with Harry Potter style glasses. I recognised this man as Mr Berry, and he wasn't looking happy at all. The other two, I didn't know. The man and woman were both African American, the same look of determination in their faces as Mr Berry had.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" Mr Berry demanded to know, slamming his hands on my desk. I jumped back a bit: a second ago it had been so peaceful in here.

"What do you mean, Mr Berry? I saw her in school yesterday," I told him, though his expression remained the same.

"Don't you start all that with me! She never came home from school and she hasn't been answering her phone. I called the police, but they said something about how teenagers are always staying out for the whole night, but she would never do that! Now, where is she? His brow furrowed aggressively.

"And where is Mercedes and Quinn? Don't tell me it's just a coincidence that three of your pupils have all gone missing at the same time. When I phoned you ,Principal Figgins, you said they'd be home soon, and they most certainly did not come home,"the woman, who must have been Mrs Jones, spoke.

I felt myself frown: I'm sure I'd seen all of these students. Where could they have possibly gone? I picked up my phone, dialling in my receptionist's number.

"Yes?" her nasal voice called through,

"Donna, could you please check the attendance records for Rachel Berry, Quinn Fabray and Mercedes Jones to see if they were in school yesterday. Thank you."

There was a silenced as I place the phone down, turned to look at the three once more. Mrs Jones had now sat down, nervously twiddling her thumbs together.

"Now, I know that you're all concerned, b-"

"Concerned? My daughter is missing!" Mr Berry shouted the last word.

"But," I emphasised," I'm sure we will have it sorted out soon. Besides, they're probably fine. You know how young girls are. Always finding new ways to have fun."

"Fun? You think that this is their idea of fun?" Mrs Jones screeched.

"I just mean that they're likely to do something like this. I'm sure they're all safely home right now," I smiled to ease their worry. Before Mr Berry could say anything, my phone began to ring. Now, Donna could clarify that they were in school yesterday and we could forget about this whole thing.

"Do you have those records for me Donna?" I asked quickly.

"The three girls that you asked about showed up for first period, but then wasn't marked in for any other classes."

I felt a plummeting feeling wash over men.

"Okay, thank you," the words were forced. Slowly, I put the phone down again, not sure whether I was ready to face them," We might have a bit of a problem."

**I want at least five reviews before I update the next chapter. :P**

**So tell me what you think!****My friend and I would love to know what you think**


	3. Uneasiness

**Short chapter! Just to add more suspense :)**

**Will update another chapter later today, but you only have this for now :D**

* * *

_3rd person_

All the glee kids (minus Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes) piled into the choir room and sat in their normal seats. Kurt and Finn both glanced around the room, both with a look of being completely lost on each of their faces, as both of their best friends weren't there.

Mr Schue shuffled into the choir room with the sheet music for 'Knights of Cydonia' by Muse. It wasn't what they normally did, but Tina had convinced him to let them try, though he was expecting a long lecture about it from Rachel. Everyone quietened as he handed out the sheets.

"Power to the people. This is what this song..." he trailed off, realising that the clubs three best female singers weren't there and he found this strange as they hardly ever missed practice.

"This song...what?" Mike asked after a pause of a few minutes was left between his last words.

"Never mind," he said," But I want you guys to get into teams for the week and perform this song. Who knows? We might be able to use it when we go to sectionals again."

They settles into the groups: boys (Finn, Noah, Mike, Matt and Artie) and the girls (Santana, Brittany, Tina and Kurt) This didn't seem right to Mr Schue, though he still stood next to the piano, looking at Brad to start.

"It looks weird, doesn't it?" Brad, the usually silent man, whispered into Will's ear as he straightened the sheet music. Will just nodded. A few minutes after Glee should have ended, Mr Schue dismissed the kid. As everyone made their way home, no one could shake off the feeling off that something really bad was about to happen.


	4. Waking up to darkness

**Here's chapter four, as promised. Sorry it is later than expected. I've been out for most of the day celebrating my sister's birthday :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Quinn's P.O.V _

I must have fallen asleep or something. The last thing I remembered was Rachel's emotionless face as she stared in between Mercedes and I and the door of the car we had been stuffed into, with blood dripping from her temple from the impact of hitting it against the hard metal.

Now everything was black, as in, I couldn't see anything. I felt the slightest of pressures on my toes. Then the worst pain I have ever endured came forward, starting in my wrist and slowly making it's way to my arms and then shoulders, to running down my spine. It felt like I was being stretched to the extreme.

My eyes adjusted. Something moved to my left, making me quickly turn my head to see the outline of Mercedes and Rachel. Turns out I could see something after all.

"Are you alright?" I whispered in the tense darkness to my friends.

"In pain, but okay," Mercedes replied back in a sort of groan.

"Fine," Rachel mumbled flatly in a tone that implied she was certainly not okay. Tears filled my eyes at how dead she sounded. The Rachel Berry I knew had completely gone. Though, I suppose that watching your father die wasn't exactly the nicest thing to see.

"What about you?" I heard Mercedes ask me.

"I'm good, considering what happened," I assured them.

A door then slammed open.

-glee-

_Mercedes P.O.V _

The light flooding from the room burned my eyes. That was when I saw Quinn and Rachel for the first time. Rachel just stared at the door, fear wide in her eyes, and blood stained on her face. Quinn's head shot in my direction, looking as though she was about to cry.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a man slowly stepped inside, a long whip curled around his fingers. He paced around the small space we were confined o, fixing an intense gaze of us. I could feel my hands shaking and heard Quinn make a small whimper as he took a step closer to her.

"Well," he smiled," Aren't you a pretty one?"

I watched, disgusted, as his hand caressed her face and was about to make an offensive comment, when Quinn beat me to it," Don't you dare touch me!"

The guy actually had the nerve to laugh, moving his hand to pat her head like she was some kid. If I wasn't in chains, I would have opened a can of whoop ass on him by now.

"Don't you worry you pretty little head," he gave her a glance up and down, smiling to himself," Besides, blondes aren't my type."

And with that, he turned to Rachel. She didn't react in any way. I began to wonder whether she'd heard him speak at all. He reached his hand out, just like he had with Quinn.

"Get the hell off her!" I felt myself scream. He shot me a look before proceeding. I watched as she squirmed away from his grasp, though it was quite hard as she was restrained.

"Don't be scared sweetheart," he mocked,"We're not going to hurt you. Not yet, anyway."

My blood ran cold. He was going to hurt us. Crap!

"Actually, you three are our bargaining chips."

His bargaining chips? What the hell did he mean by that? I glanced over at Quinn, who was crying to herself, causing a frown to appear on my face. The man took a step back from Rachel, a satisfied look on his aged face before it was replaced by a small frown.

"You girls don't look at all scared," he was definitely crazy," You need to be convincing, or how else are we going to get the money?"

Again, he turned to Rachel: the girl looked empty, just staring in front of her, as though she didn't realise that he was even there. He reached into the pocket of his scruffy jacket, pulling out a shiny black weapon, and pointing it directly at her.

I'm sure my heart skipped a beat as I witnessed the scene. Rachel's eyes were wide and utterly terrified.

"Now, you're not going to do anything to ruin this, are you?" he was so close to her small body, the end of the gun placed against her temple. He ran her hair through his fingers. In reply to his words, she gave a simple little nod, lips quivering.

I couldn't help but think what we were going to ruin, though my question was answered when he advanced towards, gesturing towards what looked like a large camera set at the back of the room, facing us directly. As he switched it on, I felt a tear roll down my cheek.


	5. Bad bad news

**Another short chapter. Muaha **

**Enjoy**

* * *

- a week later -

_Mr Schuester's P.O.V_

Glee just isn't the same any more. Everyone, even Santana, is missing the girls. It's been torture watching the kids acting like this, especially Finn and Kurt who had become so dependant on Rachel and Mercedes, but were now without their best friends.

Worry is etched on their face.

I glanced at the door as the ogre receptionist enters, quickly handing me a note with a look of boredom on her face.

_William, we have been told by the police to inform you of the situation of Rachel Berry, Quinn Fabray and Mercedes Jones. As it is a delicate matter, I cannot give you too much information, but I can tell you that they have been kidnapped. Please do not divulge this to anyone else in the school, especially any students._

The note ended, leaving me staring as though I'd just seen a ghost. Slumping in my chair, I tried to hold back any tears. Sometimes it was hard not to be emotional, and this was definitely one of those times. I caught a glimpse of Finn, who was looking straight back at me. OH GOD! It was going to be so difficult not telling any of the kids this.

_Finn's P.O.V_

I sat in glee, feeling completely empty yet again. What the hell had happened to Rachel? She hadn't shown up for weeks, and she'd been ignoring all of my texts and phone calls. Had I done something wrong?

It was horrible not seeing her. It must have been something important if she'd missed school. Rachel Berry NEVER missed school. It was strange ... even more. Was this all just some stupid dream that I was having?

Mr Schue looked as sad as I felt, sitting at the piano. The door creaked opened and, as much as I wanted Rachel to walk through, I knew that it wasn't going to happen.

The scary receptionist stepping in, no expression on her face. She held out a piece of paper to Mr Schue, who took it without saying a word, before leaving the choir room quickly. We all watched as he watched it, leaning further and further down in his seat, and I'm sure that I noticed his eyes watering.

"We're gonna have to cut rehearsal short tonight. Sorry guys."

And then he was gone. I noticed that the note was still there and went to pick it up ready to give it back to him when Rachel's name caught my eye, and Quinn's and Mercedes'!

I read it. And then again. And once more.

The words were so overwhelming. They'd been kidnapped! But, by who? Some sick bastard who gets his kicks out of ruining people's lives. A new anger raced through me. If he even dared hurting her.


	6. Bruises

**Another short chapter. Me and my friend like suspense if you can't already tell :P**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Rachel's P.O.V

The drip, drip, drip of the leaking pipe greeted me as I awoke. My ribs, my back, my leg, my ... everything hurt. I'm sure that something was broken from the excruciating pain fiercely raging from my ribs, making it hard to breathe.

There was a heavy pressure on my back, exactly where my bruises were beginning to develop. I glanced at the camera in the corner, knowing that it see my every move. I couldn't see Quinn or Mercedes, though I knew that they were either side of me. Shifting my body into a more comfortable position, which was hard, I felt the weight shift . What the hell was that? I looked down in horror. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could see the small box, surrounded with tangled wires, and I didn't have to be a bomb expert to know that it was one. This had to be a dream! Or more like a nightmare...

A rustling from the right made me turn, seeing the outline of Mercedes. I couldn't help myself, and glanced at her body to see if she too had the same thing as I did.

She did.

"Mercedes, are you ... okay?" I asked, assuming that she was awake.

"What do you think?" she replied in a broken voice, reflecting the pain that we'd all experiences. It hurt me to see her act like this.

"Rachel? Mercedes?" Quinn's small whisper sounded through the dark.

"Yeah?" I called back, diverting my head in her direction.

"I-I'm scared," it was barely audible, but said enough. If only I wasn't imprisoned by the stupid chains, I would have hugged her, attempting to comfort and reassure the girl.

A single tear fell from my eye," Me too."

The door slammed open, giving me a sense of déjà vu, though this time we all gave out terrified shrieks.

"Right, ladies. We've got a little problem on our hands," the man had sped into the room, his face in an angry grimace," The government haven't agreed to give us what we want, so we need to make the situation a little more urgent. What do you think? We're going to record our little "games" and soon, you three will be the star of your own little show on you tube."

He left after laughing at the last few words. Oh, God, could this get any worse?

**We like reviews too! So tell us what you think :D**


	7. The Interview

**Ahhh, I love Sue. We tried getting the P. of lots of characters.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Sue's _

**Dear Diary, **

**The whole school is going crazy. Even the object of my obsessive insulting, William Schuester, is seemingly depressed. I can't make him miserable when he is already miserable! How can I go on like this? And no Diary, I am not being dramatic. No one makes hum miserable but ME!**

My office door was forced open and two men walked in, both clad in identical plain black suits.

"Sue Sylvester," the first spoke," Come with us."

"Now why would I do that?" I placed my pen down, removing my glasses with an evil glare to ensure that they knew I meant business. He held up his badge. Apparently I was supposed to be impressed that he worked for the FBI.

"If you refuse to come with us, Misss Sylvester, I have permission to arrest you straight away," he spoke calmly.

"Oh fine then!" I moaned, standing up to follow him. We made it to a car, where I was made to sit in the back. Once inside, the uglier of the two men retrieved a blindfold from the glove compartment, reaching up to place it on my face.

"Don't you dare," I growled.

"It would be in your best interest if you didn't say anything."

I didn't like this guy at all, but reluctantly let him tied it around my eyes. I know that I'm wasn't supposed to know where they're head Quarters is or anything, but that was just ridiculous. When the vehicle finally stopped, I was jolted forward, a hand stopping me from completely whacking my face on the back of the chair.

Much to my annoyance, I was pulled through more and more hallways. A door was opened, and immediately the smell of perfectly groomed, product drowned hair came towards me.

"Schuester" I said bluntly. I felt someone fumbling with the blindfold, letting it fall from my eyes. Like I'd guessed, William sat in a seat, looking more guilty than usual ... maybe he'd been caught stealing from his salon.

"What are you doing here Sue?"

"Well, William, I could ask you the same thing," I sat down directly opposite him, noticing the men had not disappeared.

"I'd just had the most gruelling interrogation. I was exactly like on TV, or that time I'd tried to find out who'd made the glist in glee club," he slid down in his chair," It was about Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes. I still can't believe they're missing.

"Hold the water works William. This," I pointed to my track suit," is designer and I don't want your self-pitying tears all over it."

"Do you think they're still alive? It's been weeks," he ignored my comment, though his question caught me by surprise. After all, I did actually care about the children, sometimes.

"I don't know," I replied quietly," All we can do is wait and see."

In the span of an hour, the parents of the missing kids had trickled in and sat down, each giving us a confused look. They appeared as though none of them had actually gotten any sleep. Mr Grab-and-drag (my new nickname for the detective) entered with two other buffoons in monkey suits.

As soon as they began to speak, I could tell that they had bad news to bring.

"The Government feel that you deserve to know the reason why your children have been taken and why you," he glanced over at a guy with strange glasses," are missing a partner. But before that, we need to question Miss Sylvester quickly."

_Mr Schuester's P.O.V_

The man finished speaking, I think he was called Tim, an lead Sue out of the room. I knew that they wouldn't question the parents. They'd become too hysterical and in comprehensive during the entire process. As much as I despised Sue sometimes, I knew that she had nothing to do with this. She may be evil, but she's got to have a heart somewhere deep down.

She came back in around ten minutes, a look of complete annoyance on her face. The man reappeared in the doorway.

"Okay, so I'm going to be straight with you, the situation is not good," he turned to Rachel's dad again," Mr Berry, were you aware that your partner is a top government intelligence spy?"

Mr Berry shifted in his seat before nodding, probably realising why he'd been killed.

"Well, we've been wagtching these men for a few years now, and they must have caught him, or found out where he lives," he paused," They killed him."

I could now see that Mr Berry was crying, though Tim wasn't finished yet," And we are almost certain that it was at this time when your daughter came home, accompanied by Miss Fabray and Miss Jones. They must have witnesses the whole murder and because they did, they've been taken as hostages. We have no idea where they are, but a few days ago, we were sent a video-"

"And you didn't show us! Their parents!" Mrs Jones exclaimed.

"No. The contents is too distressing," Tim replied, obviously trying to keep his cool.

"I want to see it," Mr Berry said defiantly," Just so I know that my baby girl is alive."

All the parents, heck even Sue and I, nodded in agreement.

Tim sighed, turning on a TV which was stuck to the wall," Very well then."


	8. The rating game

**Time to find out what the video had on it!**

**Enjoy**

* * *

_Camera P.O.V_

"Why hello there. My name is Simon," a man with shaggy brown hair appeared in front of the screen, a huge grin spread across his face," Our friends have volunteered themselves to be part of out little demonstration. You see, you mess with us, and we'll mess with you, by hurting what you love the most."

He waved his hand to the side, and the camera swirled around to show a hysterical Quinn and Mercedes, and a passive Rachel.

"Now, let's introduce you to my other friends," he smiled. The screen showed the three other men," Nic ( 6"5, tall and muscular with black hair), Andy ( a 5"10 man with cropped hair, the smallest on beards showing on his dirty face) and Bengy ( a 6"7 man, literally covered in tattoos, completely bald). Nic will be demonstrating the proper use of brass knuckles, Andy that of a very wonderful knotted leather whip and Bengy, the good ol' baseball bat. Take it away boys."

As each girl was girl (Rachel with the baseball bat, Mercedes with the brass knuckles and Quinn with the whip) there was a loud scream. It was high and shrill, but soon turned into dull grumbling sounds.

Quinn was the first to scream, the leather clashing with her skin, slicing at the flesh. Tears stung her eyes, and she clenched her teeth.

Rachel was the next. She clutched at her abdomen when the wood struck it, and a loud groan came from her mouth. She wanted to be sick, hand gripping at her stomach tightly.

The brass knuckled crashed against Mercedes' face, and she cursed to herself. She'd never experienced pain like this before. She felt her cheek immediately swell, but she tried to look brave through it all.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Smirked simon into the camera," though I can't help but wonder which one hurts the most. Bengy, what do you think?"

The man grinned," there's only one way to find out."

"Good answer. Now," his eyes glanced over the whimpering girls," who shall we go with first?"

His eyes stopped on Mercedes, and immediately Nic smashed the weapon into her jaw. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the blows, but there was just too many, and they kept coming from different sides. The taste of blood in her mouth was overwhelming, but she didn't not scream: She just couldn't let her parents know that she was scared.

"Aaw, I'd only make that a four," the mocking voice of Simon came," maybe our next friend with do better. Andy..."

Simon moved over to Quinn, where she was repeatedly whipped by the man. Every strike of the whip made the blonde scream out loud. After at least five hits, blood began to appear on the front of her shirt, slowly gathering as one to drip on the floor.

"Ooh nice!" his grin was wide," what do you think boys? An eight?"

There was nods of agreement.

"You're gonna have to try hard to beat that Bengy. Up for the challenge?"

"Definitely," the man smirked, turning to Rachel with an evil glint in his eyes as he spun the bat between his fingers. He looked hungry for her screams as his grasp tightened.

"Ready. Set. Go!" Simon called out, getting more excited by the second.

Bengy swung the bat around with all his might and hit her square in the chest. _Crack_! The sound echoed around the room, but it didn't stop it. He kept swinging and swinging, hitting most of her body with each blow, causing her to scream. They were loud and lasted longer than the others, especially when the bat collided with her broken ribs. Bengy finished with a final smack to the back of her head. He watched as her pupils rolled to the back of her head, and her head hung to the side.

There was three loud claps from Simon," The best by far. Gotta be a ten! Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what the whole point of this is ( he was looking directly into the camera). We want money. $1,000,000 to be exact. Oh, and we want to be free of any murder charges. I'm sure the family of our little friends must be missing them. I promise they'll be looked after, unless of course you say no. In which case, a certain video will be uploaded on you tube."

Simon smiled sweetly at the screen, before it went completely blank.


	9. Reactions

**This is more of a filler chapter really. But you can still enjoy it. The next chapter will be more exciting :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Detective Tim's P.O.V_

I watched the video for the second time. In my line of work, I knew that these thing would happen, but I never thought that my first experience of it would be like this.

As it came to an end, I nervously looked at the parents and teachers, checking for their reactions. They looked exactly like I did when I first watch it :horrified, disgusted and worried.

"I can't believe it..." Mr Berry stared ahead absently," This has to be a dream."

"Sir, I can assure you that this is real. We're doing everything that we can to rack down the source of the video, but until then, there's nothing that we can do," I said quietly.

Mrs Jones appeared outrages," Of course there's something that you can do. You can give them to God damn money!"

"It's not as easy as that," I pressed the matter, but paused as I gathered the right words to say," Even if we did give them the ransom money, we can't be completely sure that your daughters will be returned safely. This is an extremely delicate situation."

"So, what are you going to do then?" the question was harsh.

I sighed," We wait. See if we receive any more contact from these men an-"

"But what if something happens to them?" Mr Berry demanded," You saw what they did to them. To my daughter! They attacked her and she..."

Mrs Jones comforted the crying man, herself on the verge of tears," Look, I know that you're scared, but we need to be strong for our children ... I'm sure they'll be doing the same for us."

I smiled admiringly at the woman, so calm in such a horrible time for her.

"Thank you, Mrs Jones, As I'm sure you all understand, we need to handle this with care to ensure that all of your daughters will be kept alive. Now, we'll inform you the time time we're contacted by these men," I said, trying to assure them that we had it all under control. It didn't seem to be what they wanted to hear.

"I'm not leaving until I know Rachel's safe," Mr Berry was adamant, his jaw locking into position.

I sighed," I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Well you're going to have to make it possible," he insisted," From watching that tape, I am beginning to lose my confidence in the police. You are the only people that could possibly find them and I refuse to leave!"

"I'm sorry. I really am. I have a daughter," I informed them," If this happened to her I'd be ... I'd be distraught. But you've got to trust us. We're trying our best to find them. "

He didn't seem pleased, but accepted my answer, this time silent tears coming.

They left pretty soon after that, leaving me to migrate to my office. I felt frustrated that we couldn't do anything to help these people. These men were good. When we checked the Berry's house, there had been nothing left behind, and there were no more witnesses other than those who had already been dealt with by these bastards.

I found Scott in my office, eyes glued to the computer screen.

"How'd it go with their parents?" he asked, not even looking at me. Giving out a long sigh, I answered," Not good. They watched the tape."

"Why the hell did you show them that. I thought the boss said not to," Scott frowned up at me.

"Because," I began," they deserve to know. I was doing the right thing, not that you'd understand what that was."

He shook his head, returning to the computer," I'm having trouble tracking down the source of the video. These guys are good."

"I know," I said sadly.

This was turning out to be hell.

_Mr Schue's P.O.V_

As soon as I'd got to my car, I broke down. How could they do that to them? The images were still ripe in my mind, haunting. I tried to forget, but they were just there.

I wished that I'd never seen that video, and I couldn't help but wonder what they were going through now. I didn't even know if they were alive. That was the most horrible part. The wondering and the uncertainties.

He felt for their parents. He really did. What were they going through? He felt the tears flowing, hoping, just hoping that they'd get out of this alive.


	10. Youtube

_Finn's P.O.V_

I forced myself to glee this week, knowing that she wouldn't be there. Heck, they were probably all dead by now. Mr Schue wasn't there yet, so I saw down next to Kurt. Like me, he felt lost on his own and we'd kinda bonded over the past few days. It made me feel a little better that someone was going through the same thing that I were.

Though I was still terrified. Every second I found myself thinking about her and it was horrible. I was constantly thinking that she may be dead. As horrible as it may sound, it was a possibility.

"Are they not here again? We have regionals soon and they've slacked off for weeks," Puck glared angrily at the door, as though it was it's fault.

"Leave it man," I mumbled.

"No," he was shouting now," They know" All of them! Especially Berry. She's the one who lectures us about missing one rehearsal. Look at how many bloody rehearsals she's missed!"

"I said, leave it!" I retaliated. He had no idea why they weren't here.

"You're only shouting because you're in love with Berry, and you know that she's betrayed us. That's it Finn, defend the weirdo."

I growled in anger, but Kurt's hand stopped me from punching Puck in the face," He's just upset Finn. We all are. Let's not make any of this worse."

But I was angry. If Puck knew what had happened to them, he wouldn't even think about saying something like that. Didn't he care about any of them? Especially Quinn! When I looked over at him, he was still pretty angry, though didn't say anything else to me. I guess that was a good thing really: I wouldn't have been able to control my anger any longer.

"Guy, guys. You've got to watch this!" Matt came in, excitedly carrying his laptop, which was covered in football stickers," They say it's the video of the year!"

"Who says that?" Puck muttered. He was still pretty pissed off.

"The people who are running the live you tube show, duh," Mike mocked," It starts in tens seconds.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1," we all chanted. A blank screen greeted us. The crackle of poor sound echoed through the speakers and finally a light came on the screen. We had all gathered around it now, anxious to see what was going to happen.

A man appeared in an instant," Hi kids. I'm simon. Today we're gonna teach you why you should never say no. Especially to me. My friends are going to help me get the message across as easily as possible. Andy, Nic, Bengy," he glanced to the side of he camera with a sinister smile," show them."

The camera swung around, and I felt myself gasp in horror, as did everyone else. There on the screen was Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn, all wearing the same clothes they had when we saw them weeks ago. Oh my God! I felt dizzy and weak as I looked at them in more detail. They were hanging off the walls, stuck by the chains on their wrists and ankles.

"Now, boys and girls, why don't we start? Well, we wanted some money from your government, but apparently they're not going to give it to us, are they?" he bent down, pulling up a metal pole with a plastic handle, and all sorts of wires attached. What the hell?

"Let's test it out first," the tall man left the room and reappeared almost as quickly with an angry, barking bulldog. The man smiled once more, prodding at the air near the animal, getting closer and closer. As soon as it touched, the dog shook uncontrollably, howling in the room. I felt like my eyes were glued to the screen. When the stick was pulled away, the dog collapsed to the floor, leaving me with no idea whether or not it was dead or alive.

"No! No!" the girls screamed in desperate voices. The man used the stick in one long sweeping motion, catching all of them as it did.

Oh God. Heir screams will haunt me forever.


	11. Illusions

**I know I haven't updated in a while. Whilst concentrating on other fics, I lost track on this one. **

**So, here's the next chapter**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Simon's P.O.V

Their screams. Music to my ears.

"Andy, you're turn," I cheerfully announced. This time, Andy closed in on them with a simple steak knife. He went to each girl (I never bothered to learn their names) and sliced at their flesh. Nowhere dangerous though, this was just a little bit of fun.

I glanced over at Nic," You now."

"What do you want me to do boss?" he asked me. I frowned, before thinking of a fantastic idea. I slowly removed the belt from my jeans and handed it over to him.

"Use your imagination," I replied. Nic grinned, raising his arm in the air and striking it down in one swift action. It hit the blonde first, barely a few inches from her open wound. The next time it hit, the cut and belt collided, causing a triumphant slapping sound and causing her to scream. I felt my lips curve into a smile.

He sauntered over to the next girl, giving her exactly the same treatment. I was tingling with excitement at this point. It had been years since I'd had so much fun.

The sound of belt against skin became more frequent, as did each shrill scream. The first girl was whimpering, tears streaming down her face. I felt no sympathy. All I felt was a deep sense of pride.

Nic stepped in front of the final girl, the small brunette. The terror in her eyes was convincing and it was the exact same look that her father had given me before I killed him. I got so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Nic talking to me," What next boss?"

"Unchain our little friends," I ordered. Immediately, they moved over to the small one, who was still crying from the lashings.

"Get off me!" she yelled as Andy held her still as Bengy unlocked the mass of chains keeping her up. When her hand were released, her tiny body slumped forward, and had to be held against the wall to prevent her from falling to the floor. She fought, of course, they all do.

I noticed how she winced in pain whenever her ribs were touched and found myself smiling at how much damage we had caused over such an insignificant man.

She continued to struggle as she was carried to our little "entertainment" area. The camera still had it's focus on the other two girls, who were now going through the exact same process. I began to talk to the camera as they were fixed into place.

"Now, kids, as you already know, we've been refused a million dollars for the safe return of these young ladies, so our lovely little assistants are going to show you what the consequences of your government's actions are," I spun it around to face the girls. They were stood under one large pole, to which were three hanging ropes. They had been held still by Andy, Bengy and Nic. I was surprised to see that they still had any energy: they hadn't had a real meal in weeks.

"Take it away," I motioned towards the ropes, which were placed around their necks. To my amusement, they began fighting once more, obviously not a match for any of my boys.

"This is your final warning," I spoke directly to the camera," Give us the the money, or they die. How about we give you a preview of what that looks like?"

Instantly, Andy pulled the lever and the girls fell, gasping for air. From where the camera was angled, it didn't show that they actually had fallen onto pedestals beneath the ropes, and in fact that the rope wasn't even tight enough to properly kill them, just make it harder to breathe. Illusions are fun, aren't they? I waited a few seconds before turning off the camera, which meant that we could cut the rope. As it was relieved from their necks, they didn't even retaliate to our touching of them, but instead just sat up, breathing deeply.

"Get then ready. We've got to tell the police where to drop the money off. Ni, stay behind and clean up. I'll call you so you know where to meet us," I said, keeping an eye on the girls.

They better bring the bloody money now.


	12. Shocks

**My deepest apologies for taking so long to update. Long story short, technology has been going pretty bad for me lately and I've had to rewrite chapters. :(**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_Shelby P.O.V_

I made my way into the auditorium, annoyed to see that the group were all surrounding Jesse, who was on his laptop, instead of getting ready for practice. Of course, I couldn't allow this and glared towards the teenagers, folding my arms, "guys, rehearsal has already started. Why aren't you ready?" She was frowning deeply. The kids _knew_ that they were never to waste even a second of rehearsal time.

They finally seemed to notice my presence and each looked towards me with wide eyes. It was worrying and creepy at the same time. Still, no one even bothered to answer my question. Well, Jesse said something, not that it gave me any answers.

"Shelby, "he gasped out and, normally, I would have scolded him for calling me by my first name, but he seemed worse than the others. His face was pale and eyes haunted. I took a few steps towards them and furrowed my brow in confusion when Jesse instantly forced the laptop shut, as if hiding something from me. He tried to cover it up, "w-we're sorry Miss Corcoran. We'll get to practice right away."

If I knew anyone in the world, it was Jesse and I held up my hand to stop him, "what were you just doing Jesse?"

"Nothing, "he couldn't have said quicker, his voice a little shaken.

"Jesse, "I tried to say calmly, once more advancing towards him, "I'm your coach and I'm telling you, I want to know what you were doing." He glanced towards the others, who all gave him a warning look whilst trying not to let me by see at the same time. Turning back to me, his gaze shifted to the floor as he tried him best to avoid giving me any answers. I tapped my foot impatiently and lifted an eyebrow, knowing that he would tell me soon.

He eventually looked back up, his face now laced with guilt and worry, "you really don't want to know."

I couldn't tear my gaze from him, "try me." As a response, he just shook his head, placing his face in his hands. He looked...terrified. He faced me again and I could see the tears brimming in his eyes, making me wonder what the hell he'd been watching.

"Why are you upset?" I asked. Jesse was almost a son to me and it hurt me to see him like this.

All he did was stare right into my eyes, speaking with a sudden composure, "you need to go to McKinley. Now. Go and talk to Mr Schuester."

A nervous smile came onto my face. Maybe they were just playing a joke on me. Jesse always like to practice his acting skills and this was certainly impressive but, looking at Vocal Adrenaline, I had a terrible feeling in my stomach and dared to ask, "why?"

"Just go, "he told me, looking like he was about to burst into tears. I was worried: he hardly ever let things affect him. I picked up her bag and descended the stairs from the stage to leave the auditorium, not before giving them one last glance. They were all just stood there, as if they'd seen a ghost. I didn't even know why I was going. I could have told the kids to stop kidding about and get on with practicing, but there was something, just something, that had made me get into my car and drive at full speed toward William McKinley high school. When I arrived there, everything seemed normal enough and I wondered whether she'd been gullible enough to believe some big prank that the kids had made.

Slowly, I walked toward Will's office, thinking that maybe he knew something about it. I knew where it was, having been there once before when he'd called me about Rachel and here I was again, not at all sure why. I knocked on the door three times, before letting myself in and seeing Will sat at his desk, the light from his laptop illuminating his face. His pale, scared face. He looked exactly like the kids had. Like Jesse, and I wanted to know why.

"Shelby, "he said quietly, eyes glued on my figure. I confidently stepped forward, wanting to get straight down to business. I was tired of not knowing what was going on.

"Will, cut the crap, "he was taken aback when I spoke, "Vocal adrenaline looked like they'd just witnessed a murder. Pretty much like you. What caused it? And I'm not leaving until I get answers." A deep frown was set into his face and he shifted in his seat.

The next thing he said caught me off guard, "when was the last time you saw Rachel?"

"Well, I-I, "I began, not sure where he was going with this, " probably saw her at Regionals last. We...talked."

He leant back in the seat and looked right at me. I felt very uncomfortable whilst he was just staring at me and clearly debating something in his mind. In the end, he sighed and motioned for me to come towards him. I did so and curiously watched his face as he did something on the computer, before nodding to the screen, "I think you should see this." And with that, he pressed play.

_"Hi kids. I'm Simon. Today we're..."_

- glee -

I banged on the Berry's door, the tears blinded most of my sight. My hands hurt from hitting the wood but I carried on nonetheless. A minute or so later, the object of my beatings opened to show me Hiram Berry, who looked like he'd hadn't slept in weeks. He was shocked to see me, which was understandable. We hadn't seen each other for sixteen years and the circumstances for meeting again were horrible ones.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I cried, breaking down on his doorstep. He managed to get me inside and sat me down on the sofa, where I carried on crying. I could feel him patting my back in a soothing manner, though it didn't help much. When I finally calmed down, I looked at him, not even caring what I looked like at that time, "you should of called me. "

He shook his head, "no Shelby. It wouldn't be fair if you had to worry. It is my problem."

I frowned he'd said 'my', instead of 'our', clearly referring to him and Leroy. He seemed to see the confusion in my face and placed his hand on mine, "Leroy was...he was killed. By whoever did this to Rachel." I saw his lip quivering and pulled him into a tight hug. He's suffered so much. With the loss of his husband and the torture of having to watch Rachel suffer, unsure of whether she'd be okay. I would so anything if I knew that she'd be alive and healthy. Images from the video returned to my mind and I just wanted to forget about it completely. How could someone do this? Had they no heart at all? She felt an anger to hurt the men who had harmed her daughter.

Hiram wiped his eyes, "how did you find out Shelby?"

"I-I saw the video."

"Which one?" Her mouth opened in shock. That wasn't the first one? Now she was even angrier.

"There's more?" she cried.

Solemnly, he nodded and gave her a grave look, "it's horrible Shelby. They made her...pass out. And the police won't give them the money."

"They won't?" she raised her voice, completely shocked. If they just gave them the money, then her daughter would be safe. Hiram shook his head sadly, on the verge of another crying session. "That's ridiculous, "she fumed, "how can they do that? They're making it worse!"

"I'm beginning to doubt that I'll ever get her back, "he said, utterly defeated. Shelby couldn't believe that he was giving up so easily.

She frowned and grasped his arm firmly, "don't say that. Don't ever say that. She'll live. She has to..." If anyone could handle this, she thought, it had to be Rachel. Though Will had said that she wasn't strong, Shelby knew that she was. She had to be. Once again, she was reduced to tears, mumbling about how Rachel would get through it. She just hoped that it was true. After all, she had Corcoran blood in her and the Corcorans were strong.

_Tim's P.O.V_

This can't be happening. The video was posted online! It'll be all over the news by now and we'd have to find a way to cover it up. We could say that it was fake. A publicity stunt. What if that didn't work?

"Scott, start tracking that IP address now!" I growled, "we need to find them girls."

The office became a blur of moving bodies as we searched for them frantically. I barked order, constantly reminding all of the staff of the urgency of the situation. I didn't even know whether the girls were alive or not.

"I want everywhere suspicious checked. Do you hear me?" I yelled, a thought coming into my mind, "and get staff at the airports and border lines. We can't let these guys get away."

I began work myself, fingers gliding across the keyboard. Scott came beside me, delivering the best news in weeks, "sir, we've found out where the broadcast came from. I'm sending units there as we speak."

_Thank God_, I thought, myself rushing to get into my car. I was going to be there when these bastards were brought it and they were going to pay for what they've done.

**Review :) I know that not much happened in this chapter, but it gets more intense soon.**


	13. Free

**Glee is back in three days! I have to wait longer because I live in the UK but I', still excited! I've seen way too many spoilers and clips that I basically know what happens in the episode.**

**The next chapter. I really like this one **

**Enjoy!**

_Mercedes P.O.V_

As the van turn, the three of us were painfully pushed to the side, our bodies onto of the mess that they'd left in the back where we were. They'd injected us with something, probably so we didn't know where we were going, and I could still feel the sting in my arm.

Everything hurt.

It probably sounded like an exaggeration, but I don't think that I could be nearer to the truth. I was exhausted too. I missed everything and spent every day hoping that this wasn't real. But the pain reminded me that it was. From beside me, I could hear Rachel crying to herself and trying not to get too loud so we'd hear. She had it worse than me. The memory of when she was beat with the bat flashed into my mind and the sickening _crack_ that had happened when the bat impacted with her chest. She probably had a broken rib and that was supposed to be painful as hell, especially considering how long she'd had to deal with it. I don't think that being moved about so much helped either.

When the van did stop, we were all flung to one side and I felt Quinn ram into me, mumbling a 'sorry'. I noticed her wincing and frowned. The footsteps of the men walking to the door came closer and my breathing became faster as the door was roughly yanked open. Though, I would not scream or whimper. I just couldn't show them the fear that I felt.

I was grabbed on my arm and pulled to my feet, though I felt extremely unsteady on them and had to lean onto the side of the van for support. The man just scowled and put a blindfold over my eyes before I could see anything else. The next sound that I heard was of Rachel squirming and I guessed that she had been dragged out too.

Before I could be concerned about them any more, a hard object was pushed into my side, accompanied with someone grunting, "move it." Scared, I did as he said, though I was already hyperventilating. Next time, the voice came from right in front of me, "be quiet. Listen closely. If you screw up what we're about to do, you'll get a lot worse treatment than you already have. So don't talk unless I tell you to, understand?"

I nodded unwillingly and a few seconds later, they were fumbling with something. It was confirmed to be a phone when ringing began and they waited for an answer.

A frantic voice answered, "hello?"

"Why, how nice to speak to you again Tim," the man mocked.

"That's detective Staley to you, "the bitter reply came.

I could feel my heart pounding. Where were Rachel and Quinn? Why were they phoning this detective who clearly didn't like them? And where the hell was I?

"I have someone here to talk to you, "I heard movement and suddenly the cold phone was pressed to my ear. "Tell them you're scared…that you're going to die," he ordered.

The voice was now ringing loudly in my ear, "where are the girls?"

"Erm…hello."

There was some shock in his reaction, "a-are you one of the three girls?"

I hesitated, before whispering, "yes."

The gun held at my side was pressed deeper into my skin, "tell him what I told you to."

"I-I'm scared, "I said into the phone, feeling the tears stain into the blind fold, "they said that they're going to kill me."

"Do you have any idea where you are?" the man on the other end of the phone asked softly.

I shook my head naturally, though he couldn't see, "no." He spoke to someone else, something about tracking but I didn't really make anything else out. When the men realised that I'd stopped talking, they snatched the phone from my hand and themselves barked into it.

"Here's the deal…"

- time skip -

"We should have demanded more money!" the men argued again. I'd been moved somewhere else, still unable to see anything, at least a few metres away from them and their voices were projecting in a different direction. A fragile hand removed my blindfold. At first, I could only feel the sunlight blazing into my eyes and everything was just white, but then images started to appear and I was left facing Rachel and Quinn. It actually sickened me. Both had lost so much weight and they were small enough to begin with. Their clothes just seemed to hang off their bodies. Then they were filthy. Not just dirty, but covered in blood and cuts. Every visible part of their body. Not to mention how defeated they both looked, even Rachel. Their eyes were just dead and that hurt me.

Quinn was beginning to shuffle down the road, her eyes stuck on the men as they argued. I followed her gaze to see that they were facing another way, messing around with the phone. Glancing at the surroundings, I saw that there was basically nothing here except for a few tiny cafes and the rest was just wasteland. Rachel was moving too and I realised that they were trying to escape, myself following quietly. How the men had been stupid enough not to tie us up or anything was beyond me but I was so grateful for it.

They were moving faster now, both looking like their legs could buckle at any minute and I felt the same. We were almost at a run, panting already from the lack of food or water that we had but all so determined to get away.

No one dared talk.

I looked back at the men, still unaware that we were getting further and further away. My heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest. I still ran. We headed towards the nearest building, though it was still pretty far away. I couldn't hear anything from the blood pumping around my ears, though apparently our running had caught their attention.

"They're getting away!" I'm pretty sure my whole body froze, "get them now."

Quinn took hold of my hand, sprinting for dear life. I noticed that Rachel was beginning to slow, clutching onto her chest in pain and wincing.

"Come on," Quinn cried, grabbing her hand too and trying to make up for our lack of speed.

"I can't," she said, close to tears, "it hurts so much." The men's advancing footsteps were behind us and I picked up my speed, helping Quinn with Rachel.

I whispered, "you can do it. Please, just run." She nodded.

Then we heard the most beautiful sound ever: a police siren, followed by the flashing of blue and red lights. We knew that we had to reach it. I was so relieved that I ran by myself, ignoring the pain; the feeling that I was going to fall at any second.

"Crap!" the man yelled, "the police." If anything, this quickened them all. The men hurried to reach us whereas we hurried towards the police. The cars stopped, the officers climbing out.

I was so occupied in getting to the car that I didn't notice when Rachel had fallen until her scream echoed in my ears and I spun instantly, seeing the men surrounding her. She fought defiantly but there was too many of them. Her frantic eyes caught hold of mine and she shouted, "don't just stand there! Get away!"

I was stuck. I couldn't just leave her there. Quinn seemed to be having the same problem as I was, her face contorted in inner torment.

"Run!" Rachel repeated, being picking up by the man whilst fighting against him. Someone arrived with the van, roughly throwing her into it. I thought that they were going to come after us again, but the leader just sneered, "we only need one. Take care of the others."

And we did run when the guns were pointed in our direction, only managing to get behind the wall of police before the bullets came. Quinn let out a shriek and grabbed her ankle, being caught by one of the officers before she hit the ground. I felt like I was about to die from exhaustion, panting loudly. My throat was dry and sore. My body was aching.

"You're safe now, "I was told and I heard someone else phoning for an ambulance, but my eyes were focused on the van speeding in the opposite direction. Rachel was in there. What if something happened to her? What if she…died? I don't think that I could imagine my life without hearing her constant rants and criticisms. I'd grown almost accustomed to them. In a way, she was my friend. And I prayed that she'd live through this. Finn needed her. Heck, we all needed her.

I was helped over to Quinn, where she looked like she was about to pass out.

"You alright?" I managed.

She nodded her head, before bursting into tears.

**Ooh, what's going to happen next? Wait and find out.**


	14. Going out with a bang

The next chapter. Is everyone going to be alright? Is Rachel going to live?

Enjoy!

_Rachel's P.O.V_

I couldn't believe it. How could I just let myself fall? I'd been so close to escaping. So, so close. I was in touching distance of freedom and now, I was back to square one. I did hope that Mercedes and Quinn were safe. They shot at them. The gun was so loud that I'd covered my ears and scrunched my eyes shut, with them trying to force me back into the van. And they weren't exactly being gentle. My insides were burning and I panted loudly to myself from the running, still clutching onto my side. Never before had I been through so much pain in my entire life.

Before they closed the door, I heard Quinn's shriek and felt my heart drop. What if she was hurt? Well, more than she already was. I curled up in the nearest corner, sobbing to myself. Despite wanting to be strong, I just needed to let it all out. It felt like this had been going on forever, when I doubted that it had been more than a few weeks. God, I didn't even know what day it was, the time, anything. The contents of the floor slid backwards when the van sped away from the scene and I clung onto the side so that I didn't skid across the floor with them. The men argued, like usual. They were discussing were to go and what to do with me. I tried to breathe more calmly, finding that, with whatever was wrong with my ribs, it hurt immensely to have shattered breathes. "Go tie her up," I heard the driver grunt, producing some rope from beneath the seat. My head shot up at this and I scooted as far away from them as possible. The one who beat me with the bat took it in his hand and unsteadily climbed over the seats to advance toward me. Much to my own dismay, I let out a small whimper, probably looking like a terrified kitten. I sure felt like one. In a swift motion, he hoisted me up and slammed my body against the side of the van so that I wouldn't move. As he did this, I let out a yelp of pain and glowered toward him, which just received a laugh. He grabbed my hands, ignoring my struggling and tightly wrapped the rope around my wrists and I was sure that the circulation had been completely cut off. When he dropped them, I furiously tried to take it off and again he laughed at my feeble attempts.

"Done boss," he said smugly, making his way back to the front.

"No!" was the instant reply, "stay with her. We don't want another escapee now, do we?"

How was I supposed to escape? I could barely walk without wanting to cry and my hands were tied together. Not to mention that I was having trouble keeping my balance in the moving vehicle. The sound of police sirens restored a minuscule amount of hope in me, though not enough. The van was then jolted back and forth as they tried to lose the police. We'd reached some sort of city now and the driver swerved around every corner he saw, not caring if he crashed into anything. One certain corner sent me flying into the arms of the man watching me. Disgusted, I tried to pull away, but his strong arms kept me there.

He smirked, "you just can't keep yourself away from me, can you?"

I tried to wriggle my way out of his grasp, finding that it didn't work. When the van came to an abrupt stop, we both fell to the ground, me landed on top of him and wincing when my ribs gave me another sharp pain. I took his moment of uncertainty to move away from him and managed to stand up, stumbling against the back door of the van. He sneered at me once more.

Right now, I was 99 percent sure that I was going to die at their hands.

_Finn's P.O.V_

My eyes were pretty much glued to the screen. I was so thankful that the hospital had a TV in the waiting room, otherwise I would have died from…what did Rachel call it? Oh, anxiety. Every time I forced myself to look away, a second later I was staring at the moving picture and hearing the mass of noise and sirens. Mr Schue sat down next to me, wiping his tired eyes and looking towards the TV too. He patted my back. Was it supposed to be reassuring?

The rest of the club was here, looking scared and well, bored. We'd been in the waiting room for a while and the doctors hadn't told us much about Quinn or Mercedes. I knew that Quinn had been shot in her ankle, which sucked. Puck was worse off about it than I was though. He loved her. So, he could probably understand the stress that I was under now whilst watching to make sure that Rachel got out of this alive. Please, please let her stay alive. I suppose it made it a little easier that I could watch what happened for myself, the news crews were quick and they'd already got a helicopter following the van. She was in there. I wanted to comfort her. Tell her that she'd be alright and everything would be fine, but I couldn't. Those bastards still had her. If I ever saw them, I would definitely not stop myself from going all brave heart on their asses.

"Any news yet?" Mr Schue frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. I shook my head sadly, still not looking towards him. "She's going to be alright," he told me, almost certain. How could he say that? He may be a teacher, but he didn't know everything. As much as I wanted him to be right, I didn't believe him. In her one minute of consciousness, Quinn had told us that Rachel was in bad shape. Something about her ribs… Whatever it was, it made me angry to think that the police had actually let this go on for so long. I really did hope that Rachel's dad sued them or something.

"Why can't they save her Mr Schue? I thought that they're supposed to be professionals…" my out burst gained the attention of a lot of people, though I ignored them all, staring solely at Mr Schue. He looked down sadly.

"Finn," he sighed, "you'll just have to let them do their jobs. I-I've got a phone call that I need to make. Will you be alright?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm not the one in the middle of a police chase hear." It sounded really nasty, but I was more worried about my girlfriend. On the TV screen, I watched as the helicopter camera zoomed in on the van, weaving in and out of traffic and with the flashing lights of the police closely behind. I tensed when it almost collided into a wall, the side of it just skimming the concrete. And then again, it was forced onto the wall, sparks flying as the metal scraped alongside it. When it happened the next time, the door at the back flung open and was immediately knocked off its hinges back another car.

I then saw Rachel and I'm pretty sure that my heart stopped. I guess it was kinda good that I was in the hospital in case, you know, I started having a heart attack from the panic of it all. The van was losing control, going in every direction and it was terrifying. For a second, I could see Rachel, a man standing near her, and felt dizzy and angry at the same.

Then it happened. It was weird, like I was watching everything in slow motion. A huge truck was driving in front of the van, meaning that it had to quickly swerve to get away from it. As it happened, Rachel seemed to lose her balance and her small body fell through the now very large hole. The man on the news was shouting, but I could barely make out what he was saying. I was frozen. She was just lying there, now moving. Was she dead?

_Rachel's P.O.V_

He glared at me angrily, but I was solely thinking about everything I'd miss, my dad(s). I knew that daddy was dead, but I still missed him, and dad. I would miss glee and fighting for solos. I'd miss Kurt telling me how bad I dress. What I'd give to hear him say it again. But most of all I would miss Finn. I loved him, and I'd never said it to him properly. Now he'd never know.

I think that there must have been a pot whole in the road because the whole van fell up and then down, rumbling loudly. The driver was shouting out order. I never did hear what he said though, mainly because I was on the verge of consciousness. My vision was slowly turning blurry. I'd never fainted before, but I was pretty sure that this was what it felt like. The driver turned to look at me, the steering wheel turning with him and, through the window; I could see a huge truck ahead of us. How he was going to avoid it I didn't know.

As the van hit something, I was forced forward and then hung onto the side of the van before falling over again, landing on my knees. The driver began to yell toward me, letting another person take the wheel. I was screaming so loudly and just plainly ignored him. The darkness was still sleeping into my vision and I felt light headed. A turn was miscalculated and we crashed into another wall, the door creaking before swinging open. The sirens grew louder at this point and I tried to stand up, hand holding onto my forehead. The guy who was supposed to be watching me reached for my arm, though I was too far away from him, thankfully.

We hit something else and I was knocked off my feet. The next thing I knew, I hit the cold hard floor and nothing was moving any more. There was only sound; I couldn't see a thing. Pain was the only thin I felt.

Managing to open my eyes, I saw the van in mid air, slowly turning to one side. It landed on the floor in a heap, smoke rising from the exhaust. The darkness was returning with a vengeance and I had to close my eyes. A loud explosion erupted in my ears and a heat swept over my face, the sound of fire crackling following it. Someone was running up to me, lifting me up in their arms_. Please don't let it be them. _I never found out after that. I'd lost to the darkness.

If I get enough reviews, I'll update earlier. Probably Wednesday. But I'd need 95 reviews for that. :D I know. Horrible, right? Until the next update!


	15. Author Note

I'm sorry about putting up the wrong chapter. I was in a rush when I updated. I've already replaced it with the right one. My deepest apologies and I hope that you enjoy the actual chapter.


	16. Alive,I think

**104 reviews. Wow. Thank you. I would have done this for yesterday, but I had to stay at school until nine. **** Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter and again, the more people who review, the quicker I'll update. I promise that my next update will be sometime within the next week but when will depend on the reviews. 113 would be nice. I just like that number…**

**Enjoy!**

_Mr Schue's P.O.V_

Everyone was silent. Had time just stopped? It was Finn who'd gained all their attention, screaming a loud "Rachel!" at the TV as he stood up. Our heads spun to look at him and his fear stricken face. His hands flew up to hold the back of his head, mouth open in shock, mirroring his usual expression. My eyes shot toward the screen, where it appeared that she was on the floor, causing me to instantly panic. I know that Rachel hadn't exactly been my favourite student, but I still cared for her and, at that moment, I had a sharp intake of breathe as a shiver ran down my spine. What if she wasn't going to make it? Glee would never, ever be the same without her, though I hated to admit it.

I looked to Finn: he was desperately trying to push back his tears and I really felt for him. He didn't want to look weak by crying in front of all of his team mates, but this was Rachel and, as they'd announced so many times, they were in love. I don't know what I'd do if this happened to Emma, so I had a little bit of insight into how he was feeling.

"Is she..." Tina began, "alright?"

"She's just fallen out of a moving vehicle. Do you think she's alright?" Kurt shot back. He, surprisingly, had been supportive of Finn during everything. I didn't even know that he liked Rachel, but he'd been there. I'd tried to help of course, though I didn't think that it had any real affect. Kurt was the only one who really got through to Finn and I'm so thankful that he stopped the boy from doing anything impulsive.

Once more, we all looked to the TV, a huge amount of shock still surrounding us. The police had reached her, not before the van had exploded, which was actually quite frightening, and I knew that she'd be safe, for now. She could die on the way here. I didn't want to be negative, but I didn't want to be too hopeful either. Anything could happen…

"Finn, "I said softly, "are you okay?"

He didn't say anything, but just turned to me and cried onto my shoulder. I patted his back, remembering the first time this had happened, when he found out that Quinn was pregnant, but this could end up much worse.

"She's going to die," he started.

I shook my head furiously, "no, she'll be fine. She's safe now Finn. She's safe." He didn't seem all that convinced. Heck, even I couldn't convince myself but, as the adult, I couldn't let him lose hope. Not for Rachel.

_Puck's P.O.V_

I sat by Quinn's bed, just staring at her. It was probably a little creepy, but I couldn't take her out of my sight. I swear, if anyone hurt her again, I'd kick the crap out of them. She was sleeping now and I didn't blame her: she looked so tired, like she hadn't slept in weeks. And she was thin. Stick thin. Maybe I'd go and get her something to eat when I could tear myself away from the side of her bed. The doctors had done all they could for her, which included stitching up all of her cut, some that were pretty deep, and then putting her in an induced sleep. I looked at her arm, which had a large bandage around it and felt angry again. Nobody was allowed to touch my girl. Hurt her like they had. I couldn't get the video out of my head, it was pretty much haunting me, and her pale face was just a reminder of it all.

For a moment, my mind went to Mercedes and Rachel. Mercedes had been doing okay, until she'd gone into shock, but Kurt had told me that she'd recovered. That gave me some relief, not that I showed it. I just nodded my head and then turned back to the sleeping Quinn.

And then there was Rachel. I swear that she'd got some sort of spell on Finn: he'd refused to move away from the TV since we got here. He had a reason though. She was still out there, with them bastards, and no one knew whether she'd be alright. Mr Schue said she would be, but what does he know? I frowned when Quinn moved slightly in her sleep, the corners of her mouth pointing downwards as though she was in pain. It made me feel horrible. I couldn't do anything about it...

There was a commotion outside and, still watching Quinn, I slowly stepped nearer the door. There was a huge mass of doctors heading our way, pushing a gurney along. I saw Finn run up to it, only to be held back by two men. "Rachel!" he repeatedly shouted, his voice cracking. My eyes widened. She was alive? And here?

"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to wait here," Finn was told, though he carried on walking with them. When he passed us, I caught hold of his arm.

"Finn, calm down. They've got to sort her out, okay?" I told him. He took deep breathes, giving a painful nod. His eyes followed the gurney with her on, and I too stole a glance at her, completely regretting it. She had an oxygen mask strapped to her face, which was just covered in blood. I'm not squeamish but that was too much for even me. Her eyes were closed shut and, if it wasn't for her chest slowly moving up and down, I'd bet that she was dead.

He went to follow once again, like a lost puppy, but I grabbed his shirt in a swift movement, "just stay here dude." I gulped, "Rachel will be awake in a few hours, bossing us all around."

For the first time in weeks, his smile met his eyes.

_Quinn's P.O.V _

When I woke up, I was pretty groggily. The whole room looked strange and even Puck's face was all blurred, though I was still happy to see him. From beside me, there was a beeping and I looked at the long tube stuck in my arm which led to a monitor.

As I went to sit up, he rushed to my aid. "I'm fine," I snapped, not really sure if I was ready to be fussed over so much. It was bad enough when I was pregnant, but now it would be terrible.

I then took a moment to actually realise what was going on. I was free…and alive. Yes, my ankle and back were hurting so much, but it could be worse. Puck smiled at me. No smirking. A genuine smile. Feeling uncomfortable, I tried to get comfy, finding that it just made my back sting.

"Be careful," he warned, "they stitched your back up, but it was kinda messed up… and you ankle is alright, but they said you won't be able to walk for a while." _Great, just what I need._

I frown, "is anyone else here?"

"Yeah, only one person was allowed in with you," he said, "so I told everyone else that I was staying. If they don't like it, they can get lost."

His protectiveness was endearing. Too bad that I wasn't in the mood for it. I nodded and cast my gaze down to the bed sheets, suddenly becoming embarrassed when my stomach grumbled. "You didn't hear that," I told him, despite wishing to beg for food. I would not be degraded.

Now he smirked and I was glad to see it, honestly. It reminded me that I was back. "I can get you something if you like?"

I was sceptical, "the doctors won't let me eat anything."

"I'll sneak something in," he said defiantly, standing up to leave. I thought I'd never ever say this, but thank god for Puck.

He was about to leave when something came into my mind and I mentally slapped myself for forgetting at all. Leaning forward slightly, which hurt a lot, I called after him, "is Mercedes okay? And Rachel?"

Puck hesitated, "Rachel's here. Sh-she got out okay, but she had to go into surgery. I don't remember why. Finn was yelling too loud for anyone to hear properly. She's in as room now though…"

_Typical Finn_ I thought, hiding my fear that Rachel was too broken. "What about Mercedes?"

"She went into shock twice. The doctors don't say much. I'd like to see them in this fuc-"

"Puck," I scolded.

"Sorry," he didn't seem to mean it, "but Mercedes…her parents went into her room and were like crying and stuff." _Understandable_. And trust Puck to be insensitive about the crying. After everything he'd been through he still found it weird.

He smiled at me and I gave back a tiny one before he left the room. I was tired. So tired and, though I wanted to just sleep, I had to find out about Rachel and Mercedes. With my miniscule amount of strength left, I tried to stand up, finding the pain shoot up her left leg. I yelped, but covered my mouth quickly: they'd just all usher me back to bed if they knew that I was trying this. It was a tiny first step, leaning on the wall for balance. I grabbed the drip that the tube on my arm was connected to and slowly hobbled toward the door. It certainly was a painful business; however I was determined to find them. Peering outside, I found the hallways empty. Well, partly empty. The waiting room was right at the end, tucked away in the corner so thankfully nobody could see me.

I managed to get a few feet before the pain became a little too much and I stopped for a small rest. Thankfully, I found the room that Rachel was in, absolutely appalled by the state that she was. When they'd been running, I hadn't taken much care to what any of us looked like because why would you? But Rachel looked horrible, and that wasn't me being nasty. Her skin was no longer a wonderful tan colour but pale and sore. Her hair, usually long and silky, was just a mess on her head. She had a cast on her arm and an oxygen mask on her face.

Feeling tears prickling at my eyes, I limped toward her, trying not to stand on my foot. It was so painful, and I was so tired.

"Oh Rachel," I whispered, placing my hand on her cold arm.

"You're supposed to be in bed," came the voice of the alarmed nurse. Her eyes were startled and she was frowning, clearly wondering whether to call for help.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I remember nothing coming out and the floor seemed to be beneath me in a second, her shouting in my ear. My vision blurred and everything disappeared.

**Did you like it? This story is almost over. **** But hopefully there'll be more stories like this to come in the future.**

**Please review.**


	17. Awake

**This is a pretty small chapter, but don't worry. Lots will happen in the next one!**

**Enjoy!**

_Shelby's P.O.V _

My heart was racing, literally. As I rushed into the hospital, Jesse by my side, I felt worst than I had in years and all I wanted was to see my daughter. Jesse got the directions to her room; although we were told to go into the waiting room as she wasn't awake, having just come from surgery. If he hadn't have been right next to me when I'd found that out, I'd probably have broken down then and there. But I couldn't. People had to see that I was strong. A Corcoran is always strong. So…that meant that Rachel was strong too, didn't it? Technically, she's a Berry but with Corcoran blood in her. She'd pull through?

I knew that we'd arrived on the right room when I could just about see most of Rachel's glee club sitting down the hallway along with Mr Schue and some red haired woman. As I scanned the doors for Rachel's room, I was met by a sudden commotion. A nurse was shouting for help and, instantly, there was a doctor running into the room just ahead of me.

My heart leapt.

What if that was her?

The chaos was soon resolved and the nurse rushed from the room, someone on the gurney that she pushed. I saw the mess of blonde hair, instantly recognising the girl's face.

"Quinn," I whispered, reaching out my hand slightly as the nurse shot past me, heading into the room beside the one which she'd just left. By now, the rest of the glee club had noticed that something had happened and Puck practically ran to Quinn's room. A few more heads peered around the corner, all looking in my direction. Some of them didn't know who I was, thankfully, but I definitely knew that Will would recognise me. Jesse appeared to be in a strange staring competition with a tall boy, who looked like he'd been crying. Both were trying to be dominant, though I didn't have time for any of that.

Will had already started walking over to me, the red haired woman cautiously behind him. "You came?" he asked warily.

"Of course I came," I snapped, the anxiety getting to me, "where's Rachel?"

His head jerked in a movement toward the room which I assumed was Rachel's and I found my feet pulling me in that direction. "She's not awake," he told me quickly, causing me to spin around.

I shook my head ever so slightly, "it doesn't matter."

Shakily, I wrapped my fingers around the handle, feeling the hovering presence of Jesse behind me. I felt a _little_ better with him there, though apparently nobody else shared those feelings, as they all glared toward him. When I saw her, I let out a tense breathe, feeling something clench in my chest. She looked even smaller than usual, drowned by the hospital gown that they'd somehow managed to get on her. There was a horrible beeping that occurred every few seconds from a large machine beside her. I wanted so much just to scoop her up in my arms until she was okay but I couldn't even move. Jesse slowly took my hand and helped me near her slightly, his own eyes never falling from Rachel. I opened my mouth to speak, unable to find the words. Jesse, still slightly shocked, took hold of her charts, reading them aloud.

"Three broken ribs, a fractured arm, severe cuts, malnutrition, dehydration and concussion," he told me, and I could see his hands shaking as spoke. The amount on injuries was actually smaller than I'd expected, maybe because I'd anticipated the very worse. At least she was alive. I could be happy for that right now.

Plucking up the courage, I nearer Rachel and let my body fall onto the chair beside her bed. After a process of pulling my hand backward and forward, I finally placed it down on Rachel's smaller hand, frowning at how cold it was. I could hear Jesse take slow steps so that he were standing next to me and he spoke in a pained voice, "she looks so broken." _And it's my fault. _I glanced at him, still trying to find my own voice. He seemed to realise that I didn't really want to talk about anything, and nodded to himself, "I'll give you a minute Shelby."

I silently thanked him and waited until I could hear the door close before even bothering to talk to her.

I placed both my hands around hers now and it felt like my chest was tightening with each second. I'd felt terrible when she'd been gone, but with her there, right before me, the bad feelings had just increased. "I'm so sorry Rachel."

Ordinarily, I knew that I'd feel silly talking to someone who probably couldn't even hear what I was saying but I needed to get these things off my chest.

"This is exactly how I wanted to tell you how I feel about all of this, but I'd going to tell you now. In cas-se you…you…well never min d about that," I was always so sure of myself and suddenly, I couldn't think of the right words. I settled for some simple ones, "I love you. You're my baby girl, except you're not exactly a baby any more. It's horrible seeing you like this. I feel so helpless, not being able to do anything. I guess that's how your dad feels. Your other dad…he, well…you'll find out when you wake up."

My fingers were trembling and I brought my seat a little closer. The amount of which I wanted to hear her voice was so big that I didn't think I could actually want anything else at that time. "I adopted Beth. You know, Quinn's baby? She's your little sister. It would be good if she could meet you. I want you to know that, just because I have another daughter, you'll still always be special to me."

I felt a warm tear roll down my face, not bothering to wipe it away.

"Rachel, I-I…" I couldn't finish the sentence, due to breaking down. I was actually a little glad that she wasn't awake to see that. I'd never liked crying in front of people, ever.

"I'm sorry miss, but there are no visitors allowed for this patient," my head shot to the door where a doctor stood. I really didn't want to go.

With a frown, I said, "but I'm her mother."

His stern expression stayed the same, "I can't make any exceptions. I need to do some checkups on Miss Berry."

I couldn't even find the effort to argue and, giving Rachel's fingers one last squeeze, I stood up. When I reached the door, her voice startled me.

"Shelby?"

**Please review.**

**And stay alerted for the next chapter. That will be up in the next two days!**


	18. St Douchebag

**So, we're nearing the end of the story now, and I'm pretty sure that you want to know whether they'll be alright or not. **_**Most**_** of them will be. You'll just have to wait and find out.**

**Enjoy!**

_Finn's P.O.V_

Why were they here? They had no right to be here at all! Okay, maybe Shelby has a reason, being Rachel's mum and all, but when had she actually been there for Rachel before? From what I'd heard, she'd been a pretty lousy mother. And Jesse. Don't get me started on Jesse. No wait, _do_ get me started. How dare he just walk into the waiting room like nothing had happened, like he'd never turned Rachel into an omelette? I felt Mr Schue's hand resting on my shoulder again. Maybe he was being comforting, or maybe he was trying to stop me from hitting Jesse which, to be honest, I was seriously about to do.

"What the hell are you doing here St James?" Puck came to my stand beside me, matching my glare though I guess that I had more to be angry about.

Mr Schue shook his head, gently holding Puck back with his other hand, "come on guys. Now isn't the time to argue, is it? And I guarantee that you'll feel better for being the bigger person."

I backed down from my position, slowly going to turn, "you're right Mr Schue." He nodded, himself spinning on his heel and I took this as the perfect time to fist my hand, letting it collide with Jesse's jaw, so satisfied when he yelped in pain. "I do feel better," I told him simply, my eyes never falling from Jesse, who was bleeding from inside his mouth. My mum would have killed me if she knew that I'd hit someone, but I'd done it for Rachel.

"Finn!" Mr Schue shouted, pulling me back. I hadn't realised that I was heading toward Jesse again, poised for another hit. Although I was annoyed that I hadn't been allowed to relieve all my anger, that first punch had been wonderful.

"What was that for?" Jesse spat, wiping the blood from his mouth and staring straight back at me.

"Don't even pretend that you don't know!" I replied angrily, "how could you do that to her? You're a heartless little douche who doesn't care about anyone but himself. You were never good enough for Rachel."

Puck nodded along with my words, as did pretty much everyone else. Miss Pilsbury was looking kinda scared, and I couldn't exactly blamer her. Girls were supposed to be scared by violence and stuff, and I'd just smacked St James across his "perfect" face.

He sneered back at me, "and you are?"

The smug look on his face was sending me over the edge and I don't really remember what happened after that, except for when Puck was dragging me back, coincidentally knocking my body into the wall. When I looked to where St James had been, he was now lying on the floor, a lot more blood surrounding him. I know that I should have felt guilty for beating him up, but it was all in Rachel's honour.

Mr Schue, trying to keep the conflict to a minimum went to help up Jesse, though he refused it. Just as he was about to go into one of his little performer fits, the door to Rachel's room opened and Shelby walked out, wiping her eyes. It was so strange how much she actually looked like Rachel, and it kind of pained me to see her. It took her a good five seconds before she noticed Jesse.

"What in the world happened to you Jesse St James?" she questioned, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying.

He shook his head, not bothering to answer her question though asking his own, "is she okay?"

I tensed up when he asked that. Hadn't he learned anything? Shelby frowned, "she's fine." There was definitely something up there. Maybe Rachel had given me some of her psychic abilities…

She sadly looked toward Jesse, "we should go…"

"What, but why?" he demanded to know. With a hesitant look toward us, she grabbed his arm and whispered something into his ear, or more hissed. I watched as his face changed, eyebrows tilting in thought. Looking toward us one final time, he turned to leave. Shelby waited a little longer, staring longingly at Rachel's door before she left. I almost felt sorry for her, _almost_. This was her fault. All her fault.

_Kurt's P.O.V_

Oh, this was just horrible! Why did this happen to my _best_ friend?

I was probably crying, and probably looking absolutely ghastly at this moment, but it didn't matter. For once, you see, I didn't care what I looked like.

It was even worse seeing her without her actually being awake to say anything back. I was going to crack a joke about how we'd have to go to the mall when she was awake because she'd missed so much of the new fashion but, as I opened my mouth to speak, I just froze.

The beeping was becoming more than annoying. Really, I hated that machine. Grabbing hold of her hands, I tried to speak again, a huge lump in my throat.

"Oh 'cedes, you really need to wake up… Please just get up. I need you to. I need you to laugh and joke with me, and tell me when my hair looks beyond terrible. I only trust you to do that, you know?"

I was crying! Already and I'd barely said a few words to her.

"I'd give anything to hear you sing. You were like my own Mariah Carey, but better. I mean you are, because if I said 'were', that'd be like talking about someone who's dead…and you're not dead!

My fingers trembling, I brought her hand closer to my face, "we need to be together. I'm gay and you're black. It's perfect. You can't leave Mercedes."

She just lay there. Nothing moved, except for the rise and fall of her chest, but that was it.

The out look was awfully bleak.

I was beginning to lose hope.

Outside, I could hear Finn shouting and I wanted to see what it was about, but I couldn't tear myself away from Mercedes. She'd do exactly the same thing for me, I'm sure, so I was going to take care of her.

"I'm going to look after you Mercedes. Forever. But I just need you to open your eyes."

I squeezed her fingers. Nothing

I kissed them softly. Nothing

"Please," I begged.

"If you wake up, I'll be there," I promised. Why was she just lying there? Couldn't the doctor's do anything to help her?

**Please review **


	19. Not everyone lives

**So, this chapter is quite sad at the end, but hopefully it's still good. And there's also a surprise/shock coming soon, all to do with what Shelby said to Jesse. **

**Enjoy!**

_Puck's P.O.V_

I was back in Quinn's room now, not that I was supposed to be. The doctor's said that she shouldn't have any visitors but _screw that. _She'd passed out, and they were still trying to figure out why. The reason that they'd try to give to me was exhaustion and I hoped that it was just that. Not going into shock like Mercedes, who hadn't even woken up yet. I felt like such a girl, holding her hand as I thought about how much she needed to get better.

"Puck?" came a groggy voice and I snapped out of my thoughts to see Quinn…awake again. I pulled her into a hug, before realising that it would probably hurt her and let go. The pain was clear on her face, but she didn't say anything about it. "What happened? I was in Rachel's room…"

"You passed out," I told her, "and then the doctors pumped you with loads of drugs afterwards. That's probably why you feel really weird."

She scoffed, "as if you know what I feel right now?" It felt horrible to hear her say that and I don't normally care about my feelings at all. Guys like Finn cared about feelings, not me. She stared straight at me, looking serious, "you have no idea what they did to us." I was reminded of the video and my eyes closed for a second.

I shook my head, "no, I don't." For some reason, my voice sounded cold. Quinn was still looking at me, her empty eyes never leaving my face. "Do you know why?" The question was vague but she seemed to know what I meant and began to explain.

Before speaking, she took a deep breathe, "We saw Rachel's dad…with them. And we watched him die. They knew that we were watching and they did it anyway. Then they took us and locked us in a room…like we were worthless scum." A tear feel down her face and she was quick to wipe it away, "they used us to get money. Tortured us (this came out as a whisper). It was so painful but the worst part…that was just waiting, waiting for somebody to save us. I prayed for the first few days, until I realised that it wasn't working. Nothing was working. We even begged them to let us go. And there was one time when Rachel…she was so upset and angry that she just started screaming at them. It was horrible Puck. She was so broken. They took her away, into another room, and we could hear her screams. And then, just nothing. Silence. When they brought her back she refused to talk for days."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was angry and upset at the same time, whilst Quinn was crying into her hands. I knew that it must have been bad if she was crying in front of me because Quinn Fabray always liked to look strong. There was so much to take in, so much to stop himself getting angry at. He was sure that more had been done to the girls and it had probably been much worse than Quinn was willing to say. He could tell that she didn't want his sympathy. Like the rest of them, she would just want to forget about it.

"I'm sorry," I said. I didn't know what exactly I was sorry for. Sorry that I hadn't protected her? Sorry that I hadn't made it so they were rescued quicker? I guess that I was just sorry…for everything. That was probably the first time I'd apologised in years.

_Rachel's P.O.V_

I'd barely been awake an hour and nearly everyone had visited me which, whilst makes me feel like people care about me, was exhausting. I just wanted to go back to sleep but I knew that, in the subconscious world, I'd just be haunted by the memories of the past few weeks. And being awake was painful, really painful. The IV drip was slowly channelling some strange drug into my body and I felt as though dizzy and light headed.

The door opened again and I tried to focus on the figure standing there, though in reality I felt horrible. The drugs were making me feel sick and I held my stomach in pain. "Rach…" How amazing it was to hear his voice again. I could tell that I was smiling widely, my sore cheeks aching already.

"Finn," was my quiet, almost disbelieving reply. He rushed to my side, attempting to pull me into a hug which made me wince, "sorry. I'm just a little sore." The look on his face was one of sadness and guilt. He probably felt bad for hurting me, despite it being an accident. I was still smiling from seeing him, and I reached out for his fingers (with my arm that wasn't in a cast) and held them firmly. I never wanted to let go. His fingers traced along my arm, looking at how thin it had become with wide, cautious eyes before he looked straight at me, deep into my eyes.

"I missed you," he confessed, giving a simply shrug along with it. I gave a sigh of relief, happy that he wasn't going to make me talk about anything that had happened, like my dad had. And he even wanted me to talk to a therapist. Like I needed one!

I tried to speak, to tell him everything that I was feeling, but I wasn't even sure myself. It was all so confusing and him being there, the boy I loved, was making it that little bit more chaotic. My head was spinning from it, and the added effect of the drugs. "I-I can't even begin to explain how happy I am to see you Finn."

He now smiled, his sincere and sweet smile, and he leaned forward to kiss me, careful not to hurt me in any way. An image flashed in my mind, a terrible image, and I flinched back slightly, worrying Finn. "Did I…do something wrong?" he looked upset, so I squeezed his hand lightly.

"It's not you. It's me. I-I…nothing," I completely freaked out at the thought of telling him. The doctor had told my dad and Shelby too, and she didn't want to have to explain anything to anyone. Why couldn't they just let me forget about it? Why were they forcing me to relive it all? They just didn't understand.

Finn, unlike the rest of them, gave me a supportive smile, "it's okay, you don't have to talk about it. I get it. It's like when I was a kid, my mum locked me in the basement by accident and then I couldn't talk about it for months…and I was scared of the dark for…a while." I let myself smile at his anecdote, but his experience was nowhere near as horrific as mine. At least he understood to a certain degree. "I want to help you Rach. I'll come here every day, and we can practice for glee, or I can just sing to you, and in a few months it'll all be fine."

Though I admired his optimism, he clearly hadn't been thinking about the wider picture. "Finn," I said softly, "it won't 'all be fine'. This isn't like a cut which you can just cover up and it will heal in a few days. It's a scar Finn. A great big scar. And they can all see. Everyone…" I couldn't bare to look at him after that, averting my eyes to the bed sheet and messing with the edge of it.

"Oh Rachel," he said softly, "don't say tha-"

"Why? Because it's the truth?" I sniffed slightly, realising that I was near to crying and feeling his hand on my shoulder. It was so warm and I looked to it, placing my own on top.

"It will be alright in the end Rachel. One day. Just wait and see."

"How do you know?"

"Because," he smiled," you'll make it like that. You don't give up Rachel and that what I love about you. You will make the world good for you."

I felt a lump in my throat and tears stinging my eyes, "I'm so scared Finn." He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning closer and closer to me. I was relieved for the comfort. The feel of him. The smell of him. My head fell against his shoulder and he rubbed my back, pressing a kiss to my hairline.

"There's nothing to be scared of. The men," he paused, continuing in a pained voice, "they're gone. You don't have to worry about them any more."

"I know," I whispered. I'd found out that the men had died from her dads and it was definitely good news. I didn't have to worry about them ever escaping prison or something like that, but I hadn't been talking about that. I forced it to the back of my mind again so that I could concentrate on Finn. He was looking uncomfortable, half on the bed, awkwardly hugging me to his chest.

The feeling of being sick returned and I held my hand to my mouth, closing my eyes. I reached for the nearest bowl-like thing and spilled my guts out. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a concerned Finn watching over me. His hands reached to hold my hair back as it happened again, this time the doctor was walking into the room.

He was by me in an instant, making sure that I was okay.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, wiping my mouth and then looking to Finn, feeling embarrassed. At least he hadn't ran away yet. His hand was still holding my hair back and he smiled at me.

"I should go," he explained, realising that the doctor wanted to do some more tests. He hugged me once more, or more hugged one side of me. "I'll be back later," he promised.

_Mr Schue's P.O.V_

Now, a few hours later, things seemed to be turning out for the better. Rachel was awake and had been visited by everybody, although Finn had told me that she'd been sick. It appeared that she was getting better with each person that went into the room and when I'd seen her, she seemed to be on the road to recovery.

Quinn too was awake again, despite the earlier scares with her passing out. I was sure that Puck would take care of her, since he'd been so protective ever since he arrived at the hospital. Yeah, Quinn would be fine.

And, though I hadn't had much news about Mercedes, I assumed that she was fine. Kurt would have told us if she wasn't, as he'd been in the room with her for at least an hour now expect for the five minutes when he went to see Rachel.

Where I sat, the three rooms were all in plain view. Most of the kids had gone home, as it was getting late, but he'd stayed behind just to make sure that everything was fine. Finn was still waiting too, having told his mum that he wasn't leaving until he knew that there was nothing wrong with Rachel. He was talking to Miss Pillsbury, another volunteer to stay there, whilst I was completely silent. To be honest, I was still thinking about Shelby's visit. What had she whispered to Jesse? The question had been bugging me ever since she left and I was sure that it would do so for the rest of the night. It had been after she'd seen Rachel, so I guessed that it must be something to do with her. Other than that, I'm clueless.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I readjusted in my uncomfortable seat and took a deep sigh. I could hear those horrible beeping machines, seemingly from all around me and I remembered that one that had been strapped up to Rachel. I had always hated them. Honestly, I'd always hated hospitals. I was only here to support the girls.

A horrible sound of a monotonous beep came to my ears and my heart dropped. The one that followed made me feel numb, my mouth becoming very dry.

"No! Don't die, please no," came the desperate voice. More doctors and nurses were arriving. But the sound was also still there. The sound that meant one thing: they wouldn't be able to save her.

**Please review **


	20. Getting worse

**Hey guys, sorry for leaving you on a cliff-hanger, but it is a suspense story after all.:)**

**Enjoy!**

_An hour later…_

_Mr Schue's P.O.V_

Kurt was still crying, his face red and sore from the cascade of tears. Each cry caused me to wince as they came out sounding like wounded screams. Maybe they were. He clung onto Finn, his face contorted into a pained expression which made me feel even horrible.

I couldn't even look Mercedes' parents in the eye. Like Kurt, they hadn't stopped crying: even her father, who had his arm wrapped protectively around Mrs Jones. I watched as they went outside for some fresh air, or probably just to cry some more, when Emma placed her hand on my arm softly. "Maybe you should go and talk to them," she suggested. But how? What would I say? Somehow, there just wasn't anything that I could think to say to them that wouldn't be utterly useless. When I'd tried to help Kurt, I'd made him even more upset. Should I really be doing that to two more people? I shook my head slowly.

"I don't think that's a good idea Emma," I said cautiously, "not now anyway. They're hurting. They need time on their own…"

She now nodded, "I guess you're right. But you should say something to them later. You know, let them aware that we're all here for them." Her voice was soft and low, meaning that I was probably the only one that heard. I knew that she was right of course; she wasn't the guidance councillor for nothing. He had no idea what it felt like when your child died, but he could guess that it would probably be one of the most horrible feelings in the world, and her parents would need people to make it that little bit less painful.

With a sigh, I stood up, "I'll talk to them in a bit."

"Where are you going now then?" she questioned with a frown.

I pointed to Rachel's room, "I should go and see how she's doing." My eyes hovered over to Finn, "she's on her own right now." She nodded in replied, another smile gracing her lips although it didn't exactly meet her eyes. I made my way to her room, knocking gently before I entered.

She immediately wiped away the tears, "Mr Schue, I wasn't expecting you to visit again."

"I wanted to check on you," I told her, taking a seat next to her bed, "how are you feeling? Finn said that you were sick." Her eyes widened slightly at the last point, before she shook her head instantly and forced a small smile through.

"It was nothing," she clearly lied, before adding, "Just shock." I was going to ask her more questions about it, but she glanced down at the sheets, making it clear that it was a subject she wanted to avoid. I opened my mouth to speak again, but Rachel burst it tears, covering her face with her hand, "I can't believe she'd dead! It would be better if it was me."

I was completely shocked, "don't say that Rachel." My eyes were suddenly warm as tears threatened to fall, "don't ever say that. It shouldn't have been anyone…" We were silent for a few minutes after that and, whilst Rachel wasn't looking, I wiped my eyes quickly. She finally looked back up at me, still sobbing softly to herself, and then noticing that I'd been crying too.

"It's okay to cry Mr Schue," she told me, "it seems that's all I've been doing…"

I placed my hand on her shoulder, "you're being a lot stronger than I thought you would, Rachel. I'm proud of you."

"I don't feel proud of myself. I feel dirty…and sick…and horrible. I feel worthless Mr Schue," her eyes met with mine, a look of desperation deep within them.

"What those men did to you…it's over now. And it's not going to happen again. You can look forward to a better future," I tried to give her a comforting smile, though wondered whether it would be that easy. Mercedes' death would forever be haunting all of us. Again, she started crying, which I really couldn't deal with that well. And she began speaking too, though I could barely understand what she was saying. Between each sob, she managed to get out a word, and then having to take deep breathes afterwards. I pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back, "it's alright Rachel. It's all going to be fine. Shhh."

She was practically shaking in my arms, her face pressed into my shoulder.

It took me at least twenty minutes to calm her down and, by then, she was just sniffing every few minutes. "I'm going to go and see Quinn now," I told her, "will you be okay? I can send Finn in?"

A smile came onto her lips, "I'll be fine. Thank you Mr Schue." She paused for a moment, "if you see my doctor, will you tell him that I need to speak with him urgently?"

"About what?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing important," she said, avoiding my stare.

"I'll keep a look out for him," I said, nodding my head slightly.

_In Quinn's room…_

When I knocked on Quinn's door, she smiled at me. Again, the smile didn't seem genuine at all and I wondered how long it would be until I saw a real smile from anyone. Puck was hugging her, both sat on the bed. It wasn't at all surprising to see those two so close, especially after this. I doubted that Puck was willing to leave Quinn's side at all, though he pretends that he didn't care too much. He gave me a curt nod as I entered the room, moving to the other side of the bed slowly.

"I came in to see how you're coping," I explained, hoping that she wouldn't cry as much as Rachel. Though, to my surprise, she didn't cry at all and merely squeezed Puck's hand tightly before speaking.

"I'm…better," she replied, seemingly unsure of whether that was a good enough answer, "how's Rachel?" It sounded so odd that Quinn Fabray was asking how Rachel Berry was. It was barely a month ago that it appeared those two absolutely despised each other. But I suppose everything they've been through must put all their problems in the past. I hoped that Quinn could help Rachel, as there just seemed to be something else wrong with her, something that she wasn't telling anyone. I just can't put my finger on it, but if Rachel is too ashamed to tell us, then it must be bad. Quinn may be the only one who can get her to confess.

I sighed in response, "she's had better days."

The expression on Quinn's face said it all.

I felt that they maybe wanted some alone time, or at least Puck did, so I decided to make my visit a brief one. "So, are you _sure_ that you okay?"

"Don't worry Mr Schue. I got this," Puck answered for her. Simply, I nodded and headed to the door once more.

The hospital was still freaking me out, and was slowly becoming to warm for my liking, so I thought that I'd go outside for a few minutes. I did really need a break from all of this, even if it was two minutes. The fresh night air hit me, and I let out a long sigh whilst trying to release myself of stress. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mr and Mrs Jones, and I wondered whether now would be the right time to go up to them. It would be much easier to get the talk over with now rather than later. Making my way toward them, somebody else caught my eye.

Finn sat on one of the benches, his head in his hands and he didn't look happy at all. Maybe I should see what's wrong with him first…

"Hey Finn," I said whilst taking a seat next to him. Upon a closer range, I could clearly see that he'd been crying but he also looked angry, really angry. "What's wrong?" my alarmed voice instantly shook his head; bottom lip quivering as he almost started crying again. I pulled him into a hug, finding that that was probably the best way to make him calm down as I seemed to just make people cry otherwise. He started mumbling words to, and I wasn't sure of whether I was meant to understand any of it. I picked up Rachel's name a few times and was alarmed. "Is Rachel alright?" Had something happened whilst I'd been outside? I didn't think that I could handle any more.

He sat back, face scrunched up as he cried, "I can't tell you Mr Schue, but it sucks, and I hate the person who did this to her!" And then his voice got louder and louder, more vicious with each word. I had a really bad feeling about this, and I was scared about whatever I would find out. "Sorry Mr Schue, I just really need to be on my own right now…" His eyes locked on mine and I patted his shoulder as I stood up.

Casting my eyes to the Jones', I realised that they would have to wait. I needed to find out what was wrong with Rachel. Was she in trouble? How bad was it? I rounded the corner, on the right hallway now, passing Mercedes' old room – Kurt was still inside- and then past Quinn's. Finally, I reached Rachel's, seeing that she was talking to the doctor about something, angrily doing so. He shook his head, walking over to the door and opening it. I stepped back, trying not to make it clear that I were watching, though I didn't think that Rachel could see me from where I stood.

Her voice, frustrated and desperate, rang in my ears, "I don't care how you do it. I just want to you get this baby out of me! I can't deal with this right now, not after everything."

"Miss Berry," he replied calmly, "you're in no state to be making decisions like that yet. We can discuss it further when your father arrives."

My heart sank. Blood ran cold. As if this night hadn't been horrible enough.

**Please review**


	21. Memories don't heal

**I can't even begin to explain how horrible I feel for waiting so long to update. There are a few reasons why, though some of them are a little personal but I've made it my aim to finish the story pretty soon. My deepest apologies and feel free to hate me for taking so long.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_Finn's P.O.V_

After a lot of fresh air, I finally convinced myself to go back up to Rachel's room. Hell, I was still angry but this wasn't her fault, none of it, and I was sure that she needed someone to be with her. She sat crying on the bed, her face red from it but I thought that she still looked beautiful. As she saw me, she didn't even try to hide the fact that she was upset, which she normally would do, and instead cried harder.

I rushed to the side of her bed, taking her soft hand in mine, "shh, baby. It's gonna be fine. I'm here."

Her fingers were clutched onto mine tightly, like they were never going to let go. I couldn't help my eyes wandering down to look at her stomach which looked normal enough though filled me with a horrible feeling. I brushed her long hair backwards, placing a kiss to her forehead, "how are you feeling?"

"I-" she managed to get out before the tears dominated her again.

Quickly enough, I was sat further on the bed, her whole body encased in my arms whilst we gently rocked back and forth. I was careful to not to hurt her delicate frame or to even go near her ribs, which were really bruised. Her fingers were holding onto mine for dear life, though I didn't tell her that I couldn't feel them by now. "Have you decided what you're going to do?" I asked when she'd calmed down, though it clearly just made her more tense.

She slowly shook her head, bottom lip trembling, "they won't let me unless my dad agrees. It's my body. Why can't I choose?"

I felt angry at the doctors who were keeping her unhappy. Like she'd already said, why couldn't she decide what happened to herself? "It's just," she began, "I couldn't keep it. It would be a daily reminder Finn…"

"I know," I said softly, stroking her hair.

"…and everyone is already worried enough. I just don't need to make things worse," she wiped her tears away.

"They just want you to be okay," I told her. As she sat shakily in my arms, I rocker her back and forth, "because…we all love you Rach."

She stayed silent and that worried me more than anything. When I yawned loudly in her ear, she said, "You should go home and get some sleep Finn. I'll still be here in the morning."

"I don't want to take that chance, "I gripped onto her body with a tighter grip though felt guilty when she winced, glancing down at the bed sheets before suggesting, "I could sleep here."

There was a disbelieving from on her face as she glanced at the only thing O could possible sleep on, which was some old metal chair; otherwise the floor was the only option. Still, I was willing to spend one uncomfortable night if i knew that Rachel would be fine. It's not like I'd actually slept well these past few weeks anyway and I'd rather be near her that miles away.

Turning to look at me, she smiled like it was a ridiculous idea, "Finn, you can't sleep in here. There's nowhere _to_ sleep."

I shook my head, "'course there is. That chair looks…comfy."

Her hand softly caressed my cheek. "Oh Finn," she said, looking into my eyes, "don't do this for me. Go home to your mum. She's probably worried that you're not sleeping."

"Bu-"

Shushing me with her fingers, she whispered, "I need to get my own sleep. My head is killing me and the drugs are making me beyond drowsy. I'm pretty sure that my dad is staying here and you'll get bored just waiting."

"I wouldn't," I argued, despite knowing that she was telling the true. She pulled me down, catching my lips in a sweet kiss, though her eyes told me to listen to her. "Fine," I sighed, "but as soon as I wake up, I'm coming back to check on you." I kiss her again, wishing to just keep doing it over and over again, despite knowing that it would eventually get hurt and lead to me hurting her. Once stood up, I smiled toward her.

"Well, goodnight Rach."

By now, she was already making herself more comfortable, sinking into the crystal white pillow. Her eyes fluttered open and closed before she mumbled. "Goodnight."

I waited, wondering whether it was too forward. Instead, my heart seemed to take control over my brain, "I love you."

Though her eyes were still closed, her smile brightened considerably, "I love you too Finn. See you in the morning." And with that, she titled her head slightly to the side, ready for going to sleep. I took a moment to just stare at her, hardly believing that she was back at all and savouring the peaceful expression on her face. With a smile, I walked out of the room, trying my best not to disturb her at all. She's been through enough already.

Mr Schuester was still in the waiting room, looking as worried as Rachel's dad did. He rubbed his face, eyes tired when I walked up to him. "I'm going to go and get some sleep back at home then come back in the morning. Do you have a phone so that I can call my mum?" I asked sheepishly, adding, "I left mine at home since I was in a rush."

Though appearing barely awake, he stood up slowly. "I'll drive you home Finn. Better not disturb your mum, right?"

"Sure," I said, "but she's probably awake anyway. She's been worried about me lately."

-glee-

_Rachel's P.O.V_

Once I was sure that Finn was gone, I opened my eyes and just stared straight ahead. There was no way that I could sleep now, especially after everything. No doubt that I'd have nightmares about those men, those horrible people.

I shuddered at the thought of them, the room feeling much colder than before and the sole lamp in the corner offered me no comfort. A knock at the door startled me and Quinn was slowly wheeled into the room, my nurse beside her. "Quinn," I said, sitting up straighter in my bed.

Quinn glared to the nurse, the same glare that she'd used so many times in school, but it was weaker than before. Still, the nurse left, not at all looking happy about it. "I've only got about ten minutes," she explained, "They're treating me like I'm mentally retarded. Do you know how long it took me to convince them to let me talk to you?" I allowed myself to smile a little, feeling better because Quinn was alive and clearly not too damaged.

"How are you?"

"Better than you," she said. "I've got, like, a million stitches in my back, but it's all going to scar. They said that I'll be out in over a week, depending on how long it takes to heal."

She didn't ask how I was, but she was looking at me expectantly, as to ask about me. "My, erm, ribs had healed in the wrong place so they had to break them again. They have to heal all over again and they're monitoring my concussion for a while."

"Does it hurt?"

I looked to the needle that was stuck in my arm, pumping in endless amounts of drugs, "I can't feel a thing." She hesitated in a very unlike Quinn manner and I spoke again, "Finn wanted to stay here tonight."

"So did Puck," she sighed, "he's probably still in the waiting room." I smiled at the thought of Noah being there for Quinn: I'd always believed that the two belonged together, especially with their past. "We were talking," Quinn said quietly, "and I told him about some of the things that happened. It was horrible, thinking about it an-"

"I don't want to remember," I said quickly, turning my head away.

"But I needed to ask you something." She'd said needed, not wanted and I found myself looking at her once more, trying to understand why she appeared so upset all of a sudden. Honestly, these past few weeks, I'd seen Quinn in an entirely different side, when she wasn't pretending to be a bitch. She'd been scared and worried; we all had been. I couldn't bring myself to ask her what she wanted but she seemed to see that and carried on. "Rachel, when he dragged you into the room, w-what happened afterwards? It was all such a blur. I know that you don't want to talk about it, but I just need to know."

I shook my head, the tears already brimming, "it wouldn't be right to tell you. It's bad enough that I have to remember."

"You were screaming so loudly…" she glanced down, "I can't forget it. What did they do to you?"

"Don't make me say it," I started, wiping my eyes dry. Couldn't she guess it already? I could hear my own screamed in my mind, recalling the whole painful event once more, unable to stop myself from doing so.

-Start flashback-

As always, the room was silent. I was almost used to it by now and found that I should be more worried if there was lots of noise. We all jumped when the door opened and the leader slowly sauntered in, his usual smirk taunting us. But I was past the depressed stage of morning by now and felt an overwhelming sense of anger, even as he was threatening Quinn with a small knife. He moved to me, wielding the weapon in front of my face in hope that I'd be scared.

It was clear that he was annoyed at my lack of fear. Inside, of course, I was absolutely terrified.

"You not scared little girl? Why don't you start begging like your dead daddy?"

That was it, I went to kick him, momentarily forgetting that my legs were chained to the wall and finding that nothing happened. He laughed loudly, "Did I hit a nerve?" I struggled against the chains on my wrists, clenching my teeth together whilst making sure that my eyes never left his. They were dark and empty, but still with a hint of amusement.

"Oh, do you want to fight?" his hand roughly cupped my face.

"Get off me," I said in a low growl which sounded so unlike me.

He didn't leave, if anything his grip tightened.

"I said, let go!" I shook my head in a hope to shrug off his fingers.

"Ooh, this one's got a bite," he said loudly and, when I heard others laughing, I realised that he wasn't the only one of them in the room, "are you challenging me girl?" This was said quietly and there was clear threat in his voice. I kept my glare on him, not saying anything in reply. He wasn't going to get the satisfaction.

He leaned forward, smiling, "come on and shout at me, you know that you want to."

I shook my head, jaw locked.

"Go on," he ordered, "what about it I do this?" His hand ran down my side, reaching up under my shirt. I squirmed beneath his grip.

"Don't you dare!" I screamed in his face, "get your grimy hands off of me now or, so help me, I will-"

His laughs became even louder. "I like them feisty," his hand tightened on his hip.

"Stop touching me, you monster! You killed my daddy, right in front of me and now you're hurting my friends. You deserve to die, "all the time, I was writhing against the metal chains that held me back, wanting nothing more than to be free, " all of you. You're inhuman, sick, twisted…bastards and I hate you so much. And guess what? I don't care what you do to me because you've already hurt me beyond repair. There's nothing that you can do to make it worse!"

When I stopped, my breathing was deep and I wanted to cry, but I glared at him, seeing if any of the words hard sunk in. At first, he seemed to be affected, yet it wasn't long before he'd walked up to the other man, snatching the keys from him and walking to me again. I panicked when he began to unchain me, despite aching to be free of the chains. "What are you doing?" I asked, knowing that they were the only thing keeping us apart.

"We're going to see just how tough you are," he grinned. With a final _click_, I was free and fell straight into his arms, to which I instantly struggled. Still, he had strength greater than anything I'd ever experienced. I caught sight of Quinn and Mercedes, who were yelling at him to stop but nothing could hinder him. There would sure be bruises from where he was gripping me but I carried on screaming whatever insults came into my head. It felt so much better to get out all of the stress.

I was lifted into the next room, not before gripping onto the doorframe for dear life. My eyes were flooded with light and I had to close them so that it didn't hurt anymore. The door was slammed close behind us and I momentarily got out of his grip to begin slamming on it, "no, put me back! Please."

He joined in the laughter, grabbing me by my wrist, "you brought this on yourself little girl. Now, just so you know, the more you struggle, the more I'll enjoy it."

"W-what?" I whispered, trying to pull away from him.

Being brought closer to the man, I felt him fumbling with my clothes, his rough hands seizing my body. I kicked and screamed further, my throat absolutely killing me. Being thrown roughly to the floor, I heard him pull down the zip on his trousers and closed my eyes. "Come here," he groaned.

-End flashback-

"Rachel!" Quinn was by my side, trying to stop me from screaming loudly, "what's wrong? Was it that bad?"

"You know Quinn, you know what he did." I realised that I was shaking and tried to calm myself down. Seeing her more confused, I harshly whispered, "h-he raped me." She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly but the noise that we'd made had alerted the doctor and he was quickly in the room.

He looked sternly at Quinn. "You should be in bed, Miss Fabray. I'll get a nurse to take you back."

At one moment, I thought that she was going to argue but she smiled sadly at me and went to get back in the chair. I gave her a small wave, happy that Quinn and I had finally sorted it out between us, before turning up at the doctor. "Why were you screaming Miss Berry?"

I turned away, "nothing."

Though he didn't appear to like the answer, he nodded, "I've spoken to your father, about the operation you requested."

"You have? What did he say?"


End file.
